When Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ran for a second term, he did so with the slogan ‘munkong, mungkung, yungyuen’ — stability, prosperity, sustainability. Three months after the election, his government looks neither stable nor sustainable. Instead, it reminds us of British prime minister Theresa May’s ‘strong and stable’ image that proceeded to produce the weakest […]
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Mission Impossible in Hong Kong
My new commentary for the Bangkok Post’s Asia Focus section on Hong Kong’s protests. Events have taken a different turn than anticipated since this was written, but given that the extradition bill probably hasn’t been defeated for good, it’s still worth analyzing how China is unlikely to let this slide. A million people on the […]
Principles and Parties
Watchers of American politics will be familiar with Texas senator Ted Cruz’s statement that he is a Christian first, an American second, a conservative third and a Republican fourth, which led to much derision about whether that order actually holds true. The question of whether one holds party over country is one that continues to […]
In Thailand, Pessimism Once Again
“If voting made a difference”, Mark Twain once wrote, “they would never let us do it.” In Thailand, this has more than a hint of being true. The election was never going to resolve many of Thailand’s problems. The power of the pen, as a popular hashtag went, was never going to be enough to […]
Takeaways From Thailand’s 2019 Election
I just flew from Washington D.C to New York City with no laptop. Originally, I had planned on commenting on the Thai election after I fly back to Berkeley, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to write a quick post. The election, already famous for its unpredictability, has took an even stranger turn: the junta’s […]
Vote Future Forward
“By three methods”, Confucius once observed, “we may learn wisdom. First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is bitterest”. If Thailand has gained wisdom, it has indeed been through bitter experience. Repeated military interventions that disrupts democracy, a corrupt political culture and an economy that […]
This Blog in 2019
Hi everyone! Every January, I like to write a ‘state of the blog’ post just to recap the previous year and outline some of my goals for the next. I usually write this very close – or on the date of – the new year, but I decided to take a short break from writing. […]
Thailand in Crisis: An Introduction
“Military juntas are rare in the modern world,” a professor at Berkeley said in lecture. “If you’re currently living under one, then you should realize that it isn’t normal.” As someone from Thailand, it was hard not to think about those words, with Thailand still ruled by that apparently rare species of government. The statement […]
Summer Reading 2017 & Other Thoughts
I have lots to say in this post. That’s probably not new, because most who know me will simply point out that I always tend to have quite a bit to say. Unfortunately, though, that will make this post a little long. I originally intended it to be about some of the books I’ve been […]
The Story of Thai Democracy: Octobers of Tragedy
This post is the seventh post in the series ‘The Story of Thai Democracy’, where I’ll be covering the political history of Thailand since the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. You can read the previous posts in this series here. The death of Sarit Thanarat left a vacancy in the post of prime minister. […]
