ARI Working Paper Series

Thailand’s prolonged crisis has increasingly distracted attention from both the deep roots of the present crisis and its implications for the country’s future. That future is very much at issue, in not only its political dimension but also in its social, economic, and cultural dimensions. Six decades into His Majesty King Bhumibhol’s long and successful reign, Thailand has entered year three of its political crisis with no apparent resolution of the fierce debate about the nature of Thai democracy. Within Thailand, space for constructive public deliberation has grown narrow. As friends and neighbors of Thailand, we have the opportunity to offer such space in an academic setting. Three experts on Thailand discuss the context of this debate, its historical antecedents, and its posible consequences in the hope of suggesting the parameters within which stability can be restored.

This collection of papers was presented at the Roundtable on Thailand in Crisis: The Twilight of a Reign or the Birth of a New Order? held at the Asia Research Institute on 24 February 2009.