Showing 181 - 190 of 233
Between authoritarianism and democracy
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/01/2016
» So far in the 21st century, political fortunes in Southeast Asian states have been mixed. As the world's only region that harbours all political regimes from absolutism in Brunei and authoritarianism in Thailand to thriving democracy in Indonesia and communist one-party rule in Vietnam, Southeast Asia's political future will likely be sandwiched between a rule by the few and government by the majority. The determinant of future regime pathways in this region may well be the performance of China on one hand and India and Japan on the other, the largest and most consequent major powers in the neighbourhood.
Western folly in Middle East quagmire
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 27/11/2015
» Democracy is not for every region. Nowhere is this more evident than in the modern Middle East. As individual regimes and the entire region disintegrate and revert back to their familiar past of tribal wars and internecine strife that are answerable only to force and strength, not international rules and norms, it is instructive to look back at the origins of the current phase of violence and mayhem.
Myanmar reflects Asean domestic dilemmas
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 06/11/2015
» Myanmar's momentous elections on Sunday have a familiar ring to them. Now, just like 25 years ago, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), spearheaded by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, is poised to thump the military-led Union Solidarity and Development Part (USDP) by a resounding margin.
Seeing politics via the Chuvit phenomenon
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/10/2015
» As Thailand's popular rule is in deep freeze under an undisguised military dictatorship, few dare to speak out for fear of intimidation and temporary detention. One exception for all Thailand watchers to follow is Chuvit Kamolvisit. What he has been saying speaks volumes about the current state of Thai politics.
A recalibration between Thailand and the outside world
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 02/10/2015
» Thailand's relations with the outside world were naturally complicated by its latest military coup in May 2014.
Semantics and Thailand's political divide
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 25/09/2015
» Language can be about power as much as communication. It can tear societies apart or bring them together, depending on its design and application.
Cabinet revamp vital in 'indefinite interim'
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/06/2015
» Thailand has a military government that unilaterally seized power by force, and it intends to stay in office for a while during a once-in-a-lifetime political transition for the Thai people.
Mitigating intractable 'boat people' crisis
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/05/2015
» Beyond a few obvious facts, working out what to do with the many thousands of "boat people" who have been stuck in the vast sea straddling South and Southeast Asia in pursuit of jobs and better livelihoods is difficult to come by.
Thailand caught in indefinite transition trap
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/05/2015
» Milestones and anniversaries are for marking. But few should overdo the focus on Thailand one year after its 12th successful coup in 83 years under constitutional rule. The past year is merely a large blip on a long political continuum that dates back a decade or even a century in which Thai society has been grappling with the form and content of a political order that is being contested between the forces of tradition and modernity.
A well-intentioned but problematic charter
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/04/2015
» Thailand's draft constitution of 2015 appears to be full of good intentions that may end up in futility.