• OPINION

  Power shift from West to East requires visa reciprocity

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 04/04/2013

  » Much has been said of the ongoing global power shift from West to East, from North to South, from developed to developing countries, and so forth.

• OPINION

  Time to go all the way in corruption fight

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 12/12/2014

  » There has never been a better time to step up and solidify anti-corruption efforts in Thailand.

• OPINION

  Puey's passage stirs up old questions, issues

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 11/03/2016

  » As Thai society has been caught up in a cultish and contentious search for the khon dee, or "good people", few can be more justifiably glorified than Puey Ungphakorn, a heroic Thai patriot from the Second World War and a quintessential technocrat who worked under military-authoritarian rule without selling his soul to it. This week marks the centennial of his life, with an outpouring of tributes and adulations around campuses and offices and in the minds of many. The questions and issues that preoccupied him in his prime throughout the 1950s-70s are still at the heart of what ails Thai society today.

• OPINION

  17,410,742 Britons versus the world

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 01/07/2016

  » Thailand's recent habit of rejecting voter results through denial, manipulation and contrivance is apparently a global phenomenon. When it comes to the United Kingdom's spectacular referendum decision to leave the European Union, popularly known as "Brexit", the court of world public opinion does not like what it sees. Global critics have lamented and opined widely against Brexit voters, who numbered 17,410,742, representing a 51.89% overall majority from nearly a 72% turnout. But in many ways, Brexit may just be the wake-up call that the EU sorely needs. Making the best of Brexit should now be the task at hand rather than its reversal.

• OPINION

  The submarine deal that won't go away

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 12/05/2017

  » Despite widespread public opposition, the Thai navy inked a 13.5-billion-baht contract last week for the first of what will be three Chinese submarines in an 11-year deal worth 36 billion baht. Myriad criticisms have been expressed in as many media platforms by both experts and observers alike. Yet there are four broader implications which argue against the submarine deal and warrant a mention on record.

• OPINION

  Uni rankings, wages need a bigger boost

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/06/2018

  » The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings for 2018 are out, and the news is again not good for Thailand. Compared to the rest of the world, Thailand's top universities don't stand in good stead. Nor do they rank well compared to their peers in the region.

• OPINION

  Singapore a lesson for subpar countries

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/06/2018

  » It would seem a cliché to say Singapore has figured it out. But it has, more or less, especially when compared to its subpar neighbours.

• OPINION

  Superpower rivalry to put region to test

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 30/08/2019

  » More than 18 months in, the trade war between the United States and China is not having its intended effects. Despite a flurry of US-led tariff hikes on Chinese products followed by China's retaliatory tax increases on American-made goods since January last year, the government of President Donald Trump is not perceived to be winning the trade conflict. China has proved more resilient and resourceful than many had anticipated. What this means is that the trade war is going to last much longer than many had expected. It is also likely to spread to other areas beyond trade and degenerate into a full-fledged non-military war.

• OPINION

  Brexit follows history's recurrent curve

  News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/11/2019

  » The longer the time spent together, the more painful any breakup is likely to be. This reality dogs the United Kingdom more than three years after its referendum to exit the European Union, a process commonly known as "Brexit". Notwithstanding opponents who may wish otherwise, Brexit is now seen as irreversible, especially as the Conservative Party under Prime Minister Boris Johnson is polling well ahead of the Labour Party just a fortnight before polls on Dec 12. Brexit is likely to be viewed in hindsight as part of a de-integration process in a recurrent historical pattern increasingly manifesting in trade protectionism, anti-immigration, and curbs on international cooperation.

• OPINION

  The global politics of virus vaccines

  Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 11/09/2020

  » It is clear now that Thailand's de facto strategy for handling the coronavirus pandemic is to minimise local infections and wait for a safe and effective vaccine. The recent discovery of just one Thai in a Bangkok suburb who tested positive sent the country into near-panic mode after 100 days of zero local transmissions, similar to the case of an Egyptian military official who visited Rayong province in July and tested positive thereafter.

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