Showing 1 - 10 of 49
Another wasted year in Thai politics
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/12/2025
» As Thailand winds down 2025 with an early election looming on Feb 8, the most consequential issue to watch in the coming year will be whether recent topsy-turvy political patterns of polls, protests, and military and judicial interventions give way to a compromise between the old guard clinging on to vested interests and the new generation clamouring for reform and change.
America will pay for pushing India away
Oped, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 11/12/2025
» At a time when US policy towards India has become distinctly punitive, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's warm reception for Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi last week could not have been more pointed. Mr Modi's message was clear: India is a sovereign power that will not be dragooned into choosing sides in a widening rift between "the West and the rest".
Adam Smith and the moral economy we have lost
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 12/11/2025
» With the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations approaching next year, the world is gearing up to honour Adam Smith. But which Smith should be recognised? The hard-nosed "founding father" of modern economics, or the philosopher who wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments? Scholars have wrestled with this question, a riddle known as "Das Adam Smith Problem", for centuries, because it concerns not just dualities within Smith's thought, but also our own uneasy relationship with morality and markets.
Southeast Asia amid the US-China rift
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/10/2025
» The rivalry between the United States and China has become the defining contest of the 21st century. Barely two decades ago, Washington and Beijing were partners in prosperity. America's support for China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 epitomised the high-water mark of engagement, reflecting the belief that economic integration would lead to greater political cooperation. Today, that partnership has morphed into suspicion and confrontation. Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated so swiftly that many observers now describe them as locked in a "new Cold War". The more pressing question, however, is not whether this analogy holds, but whether confrontation can be managed short of outright conflict.
Facing down BRICS threat
Oped, Editorial, Published on 14/07/2025
» After slapping a 36% tariff on Thai exports to the United States, President Donald Trump recently warned BRICS nation members may face an additional 10% tariff, citing what he call their "anti-American policies".
Reshuffle casts cloud
Oped, Editorial, Published on 19/06/2025
» Now that a cabinet reshuffle is inevitable for the Paetongtarn Shinawatra government, the prospective changes are aimed primarily at solving political problems with regard to the government's nose-diving popularity, rather than tackling the real crises facing the country, such as the protracted economic slump, social maladies and border conflicts with Cambodia.
Violence tests peace hopes
Oped, Editorial, Published on 08/05/2025
» The escalating violence in the restive South in recent weeks is abominable. The random killings of almost a dozen people, mostly civilians, have seen the office of Chularajmontri -- the highest-ranking Thai Muslim cleric, who generally stays neutral -- joining condemnation of such acts.
BJT-friendly Senate sits pretty, for now
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 08/03/2025
» The vote by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) board on March 6 to limit its probe into the Senate election to money laundering alone, ditching complaints of criminal association, shows the two coalition parties, Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai (BJT), embracing political compromise after their high-profile showdown.
Shifting alliances and fading juntas
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 11/01/2025
» Thai politics is currently undergoing significant change. The junta and its conservative network, which held a grip on politics over the last two decades, are fading from the scene. Now, we witness ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra making his political comeback as a relatively new player -- the Bhumjaithai Party wields its power over the Upper Chamber.
'Game of Thrones', the Thai edition
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 28/12/2024
» As Thaksin Shinawatra, ex-prime minister and the de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party, is trying hard to tighten his grip on power, the local political landscape is shifting and changing. Politicians are now divided into three blocs: the ruling party, Bhumjaithai (BJT) and the People's Party, which, despite being the opposition, remains a strong force.