Showing 1 - 10 of 62
Bhumjaithai win bodes well for conservatives
News, Aekarach Sattaburuth and Mongkol Bangprapa, Published on 11/02/2026
» The outcome of Thailand's latest general election has prompted intense debate among political analysts, with many concluding that the decisive victory of the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) represents a triumph of the conservative camp reinforced by rising nationalist sentiment and the strategic consolidation of local political power bases, or ban yai (influential political clans).
Iran: Drought, incompetence, revolution?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/11/2025
» Twenty years of strict sanctions on Iran by both the United States and the United Nations did not bring down the regime of the ayatollahs. Half a dozen major waves of non-violent protest involving several thousand deaths have not brought it down either. Even last June's massive bombing campaign by Israel and the US did not bring it to heel.
Central banks caused own woes
News, Otmar Issing, Published on 02/08/2025
» US President Donald Trump's fierce attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have attracted global attention, rattled markets and, perhaps most importantly, sparked debate about the wisdom of central-bank independence -- a complex issue with constitutional and economic implications.
Opposition to discuss strategy
News, Aekarach Sattaburuth, Published on 01/07/2025
» Opposition party leaders are scheduled to meet on Thursday to decide whether to table a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has called for caution, urging MPs to wait for the right moment.
Cues from Iran on who to vote for
News, Marc Champion, Published on 03/07/2024
» The opposition just won a first round of elections, forcing a runoff in which everything depends on where third-party votes go. No, not in France -- in Iran. You could be forgiven for missing it amid all the excitement over the advance of the French hard right, President Joe Biden's car crash debate in the US and the coming immolation of the UK's Conservative Party. Yet Iran's experience is worth attention, not least as a reminder of what to vote for and why. Iran, to recap, is having a snap contest to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash. Raisi was also being groomed to succeed the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, the unelected post that -- as the title suggests -- matters most in the Islamic Republic.
Finding Thailand's political model
News, Suchada Kulawat, Published on 25/09/2023
» August was a time of anxiety for two former leaders -- Thailand's ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra and the US' former president Donald Trump. Last month saw some uneasy moments as they both became inmates -- even if for a short time.
The presidential poll isn't perfect. Vote anyway
News, Karishma Vaswani, Published on 31/08/2023
» Predictability is the name of the game in Singapore's elections. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and its candidates always win handsomely. And while their margin of success is the envy of political parties and politicians the world over, for the PAP every single point counts. It is a sign of just how satisfied Singapore's 3.5 million or so citizens are with the ruling party. And a signal of whether longevity and legitimacy amount to the same thing.
Poll outcome invites shared wisdom
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 22/05/2023
» That was the week that was, beginning on May 14, 2023, Thailand's monumental and momentous national election day. The results of the election were historically in favour of democratic change, with the Move Forward Party (MFP) gaining the most seats in the Lower House. It is leading a coalition of parties, aspiring to form the next government and winning over 310 seats in total, despite shenanigans from arch-conservatives.
Give Pita a chance
News, Postbag, Published on 20/05/2023
» Re: "Senators slow to warm to Pita's PM bid", (BP, May 17).
It's just common sense!
News, Postbag, Published on 08/01/2023
» Re: "Too lax on Covid curbs?" (Editorial, Jan 6).