Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Next poll brings highest stakes, risks
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/12/2022
» In the face of the myriad of questions and issues that beset Thai politics in the lead-up to the general election, which must be held by May 7, the biggest facts and dilemmas are not being raised. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is now headed to complete nine years in office, the first five of which were under a military government after he and his cohorts seized power by force in May 2014, and the last four under an elected coalition government enabled by the 2017 constitution crafted by a committee the ruling generals had set up. Moving forward, Thailand risks settling into a prolonged period of economic stagnation and political decay unless there is a qualitative change of government after the poll.
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.
An ex-cop who has no fear of the generals
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 14/12/2018
» Over the past four and a half years of military government, the Thai people have been physically cowed. Sure, there are many, possibly a silent majority, who may be waiting for the poll to have their say in opposition to the military junta that seized power in May 2014, led by then-army chief Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the incumbent prime minister. But few have been able and willing to stand up and stare down the ruling generals who routinely resort to intimidation and coercion, armed with guns and the law, which they sometimes interpret as they see fit. Just about everyone in Thailand is physically afraid of the junta in one way or another. Otherwise, there would have been more anti-junta demonstrations in public view.
'Zbig': Renowned geopolitical maestro
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 30/05/2017
» Last week's death of Zbigniew Brzezinski, the renowned thinker, writer and practitioner of geopolitics throughout the Cold War and onetime national security adviser to former US president Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s, has elicited generally positive global reviews and assessments of his achievements. He died on Friday at the age of 89.
Trump, Southeast Asia and Thailand
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 20/01/2017
» No newly inaugurated president of the United States in the contemporary era is more controversial nor as derided as Donald Trump. Already, there have been pre-inauguration insinuations and plots among his critics and detractors to see him eventually impeached or at least occupy the White House for only one term. Without much experience in public service, the real-estate tycoon catapulted himself into American political life, and his country's electoral system produced him as the winner in the election last November, even though he lost the popular vote to his opponent by more than 2.8 million votes out of 128.8 million.
Obama's Asian pivot faces uncertain fate
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 02/12/2016
» As President-elect Donald Trump continues to stir up a hornet's nest in Washington and elsewhere in America, the outgoing and lame-duck presidency of Barack Obama looks spent, its foreign policy agenda at risk of reversal and dismantlement. This is a pity because Mr Obama had his heart in the right places. He tried to make the world a better place but ultimately fell short.
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.
Subs put too many eggs in China basket
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 13/07/2015
» That Thailand’s planned purchase of three attack submarines from China has raised eyebrows is to be expected. Over the past decade, marked by two military coups in Thai politics, relations between Bangkok and Beijing have become closer than ever. If the submarine deal goes ahead, it will substantially bond military-to-military ties between the two countries and crucially shift Thailand’s geopolitical posture from its traditional hedging among the major powers to a lopsided embrace of Beijing.
Deft diplomacy needed for coup period
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 06/02/2015
» The recent brouhaha over controversial comments by visiting United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel has further complicated the bilateral treaty alliance between Bangkok and Washington.
Government meddling harms unity efforts
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 14/08/2013
» The tendency of governments to shoot themselves in the foot never ceases to amaze. In Thailand's latest high-profile case of official self-affliction, the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra lost the plot when it tried to rope in key domestic power brokers to work on a "political reform council" and invited prominent international figures to promote reconciliation and unity. Conflating these two parallel tracks of reform and compromise has led to controversy and confusion. The best way for the Yingluck government to ensure the utility and effectiveness of these exercises is to get out of the way completely.