Showing 11 - 18 of 18
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.