A Kingdom in Crisis: Thailand's Struggle for Democracy in the Twenty-First Century

ISBN-13: 9781783606023 / Angielski / Miękka / 2015 / 256 str.

Andrew MacGregor-Marshall

Opis

Struggling to emerge from a despotic past, Thailand stands at a defining moment in its history. While scores of citizens have been killed on the streets of Bangkok and freedom of speech continues to be routinely denied, democracy appears like an increasingly distant idea. And many fear that the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej may unleash even greater instability. Due to Thailand s draconian lese majeste law, which prohibits anyone from questioning the royal family, no one has been willing to offer a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the country until now. Going against the law, Andrew MacGregor Marshall is one of the only journalists covering contemporary Thailand to tell the whole story. In Kingdom in Crisis he provides thorough background on Thailand today, revealing the unacknowledged succession conflict that has become entangled with the struggle for democracy in Thailand
An explosive analysis that lays bare what the Thai elite have tried to keep hidden for decades. A clear-eyed view of what is really at stake in Thailand s continuing turmoil. David Streckfuss, author of Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason, and Lese-Majeste
A timely and highly readable account of the grim political reality of the Land of Smiles. An essential primer for every visitor. Joe Studwell, author of How Asia Works
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Spis treści

Introduction: Telling the Truth About Thailand Part I: Royalty Versus Reality 1. 'When the Legends Die, All Collapses' - Thailand's political awakening 2. 'In a Never–Never Land, Never Mind' - Welcome to the Land of Smiles 3. 'Cosmological Bluster' - The Dramatics of Despotism Part II: Thai–Style Democracy and its Discontents 4. 'Our Country Belongs to the People - Not to the King': Thailand's Unfinished Revolution 5. 'I Really am an Elected King' - The Royalist Revival 6. 'There is Magic, Goodness and Power in His Heart' - The Deification of Rama IX Part III: The Secrets of Succession 7. 'Endless Struggles for the Throne' - The Causes of Chronic Palace Conflict 8. 'One Neither Walks, Speaks, Drinks, Eats, Nor Cooks Without Some Kind of Ceremony' - The Pleasures and Privations of Being King 9. 'I Cannot Afford to Die' - The Tragedy of King Bhumibol Part IV: Crisis and Confrontation 10. 'Living in Horrifying Times' - Twilight of the Oligarchy 11. 'Coupmakers' Haunted Dreams' - Escalation and Enlightenment 12. 'Returning Happiness to the People' - Denying Democracy, Sabotaging Succession Epilogue: 'Flip on the Lights and Flush out the Ghosts' - What the Future Holds