Showing 1 - 10 of 11
The local politics of Thai soft power
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/04/2022
» It was yet another passing storm in Thailand's overflowing teacup. The overnight sensation of 19-year-old rapper Danupha "Milli" Khanatheerakul at the recent Coachella Music Festival in the United States has shaken Thailand to its core foundations and revealed much that is still right and all that is wrong with this country. At issue are the ramifications from her global showcase of Thailand's sticky rice and ripe mango on the Coachella stage in view of her talent and political standing against the local conservative establishment.
Thai education reform is top priority
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/10/2020
» Of the myriad reforms that have been demanded by the ongoing student-led protests, Thailand's deficient and outdated education system is second to none. Education reform has become a self-contained and separate agenda for change. Thai students across the country, particularly in high schools, have been awakened and angry at the fact that they have been kept in the dark and cloistered in a state-imposed mind bubble for so long. Unless it is answered, this awakening and anger is likely to galvanise more protests and point to broader changes that have been pent up for decades.
Why Thai student movement can't exist
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 28/08/2020
» Thailand's new round of political confrontation in the 21st century -- the first under a new reign -- is showing signs of déjà vu with fundamentally different dynamics. Earlier rounds of the Thai drama from 2005 to 2014 went through three major acts, each beginning with an election, followed by a problematic government and street demonstrations, ending with military or judicial interventions. Even though its electoral allies lost in these three polls, the pro-establishment side won each time it went onto the streets citing the monarchy as legitimacy and moral authority.
Thailand's strategic path is rudderless
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/06/2020
» As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc worldwide, domestic tension and pressure will compel three broad responses from the various afflicted countries. First, these countries may react to virus-induced domestic challenges by blaming and taking it out on outsiders. Alternatively, they may be so preoccupied at home that they become marginalised abroad. In other instances, countries that have coped effectively with Covid-19 will be able to regain their footing faster and move on sooner as the rest of the pack remains bogged down in acrimony and discord.
Shifting Thai alliances in the 21st century
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 21/07/2017
» In view of rising geopolitical tensions in Asia, Thailand's foreign policy strategy and posture has come into focus.
Responding to guerrilla-style global terror
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 20/11/2015
» The coordinated terrorist attacks against multiple targets in Paris last Friday were neither the first nor the last we will see from militant Muslims espousing extremist strands of Islam.
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.
Shrine saga throws up bluster, but few facts
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 28/08/2015
» The fog of Thai crisis management can be thick and heavy. Almost a fortnight after a powerful bomb explosion rocked the landmark Erawan shrine area in central Bangkok and claimed 20 lives with scores of injuries, Thai authorities have made just about zero progress.
On the political front, it's curiously quiet
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 07/11/2014
» Nearly six months after its latest military coup, Thailand's political landscape looks pitiful and puzzling at the same time.
How far can the Thai clock be turned back?
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/08/2014
» As the military coup on May 22 is being converted into a military government with a civilian face, at issue is how far the Thai clock can be turned back.