Legitimacy crisis in Thailand / edited by Marc Askew.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Askew, Marc.

Charles H. Maxson Fund.

Series:

King Prajadhipok's Institute yearbook ; no. 5.

King Prajadhipok's Institute yearbook ; no. 5 (2008/09)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Legitimacy of governments--Thailand.

Legitimacy of governments.

Polarization (Social sciences)--Thailand.

Polarization (Social sciences).

Thailand--Politics and government--1988-.

Thailand.

Politics and government.

Thailand--Foreign relations--1988-.

International relations.

Physical Description:

ix, 328 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chiang Mai, Thailand : Silkworm Books, [2010]

Summary:

Intense political polarization, confrontation and violence have rocked Thailand recently, much of it a divisive legacy of the 2006 coup. Conflicts centre on the legitimacy of institutions and the uses and abuses of power alongside the parallel crisis of state legitimacy posed by the ongoing violence in the country's Deep South. This collection of essays explores themes and issues arising from the continuing confrontations that have dominated Thailand's domestic affairs and affected its international relations in the years 2008 to early 2010. Based on extensive research and documentation, this volume offers an important review and analysis of key events and trends in Thailand's volatile public affairs during this period.

The book brings together essays by Thai specialists as well as Western scholars on pivotal topics connected to Thailand's current legitimacy crisis. It begins with a lively narrative of major events and in subsequent chapters covers the politicization of the Khao Phra Wihan (Preah Vihear) temple issue; the People's Alliance for Democracy and its "New Politics"; the politicization of the Thai media; the revived role of the Thai military in influencing politics and governance; and the challenge of the persistent unrest in Thailand's south. The book concludes with an insightful analysis of the key challenges facing the country politically, institutionally and economically. The events of March-May 2010, which saw a dramatic face off between the red-shirt movement and the government, are discussed in an afterword.

This collection is published as volume 5 in the yearbook series of King Prajadhipok's Institute, Thailand. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction : contested legitimacy in Thailand / Marc Askew

Confrontation and crisis in Thailand, 2008-2010 / Marc Askew

Temple of doom : hysteria about the Preah Vihear Temple in the Thai nationalist discourse / Pavin Chachavalpongpun

Thailand's People's Alliance for Democracy : from "new politics" to a "real" political party? / Michael H. Nelson

Distorted mirror and lamp : the politicization of the Thai media in the post-Thaksin era / Pravit Rojanaphruk and Jiranan Hanthamrongwit

In the shadow of the soldier's boot : assessing civil-military relations in Thailand / Paul Chambers

The spectre of the south : regional instability as national crisis / Marc Askew

Four Thai pathologies, late 2009 / Michael J. Montesano

Afterword : the clash of March-May 2010 / Marc Askew.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Charles H. Maxson Fund.

ISBN:

9789749511978

9749511972

OCLC:

613433208