Thailand
before and after Thaksin
Professor Kevin Hewison
January 27 to February
14, 2014
Sir
Walter Murdoch Distinguished Professor of Politics and International Studies
Director
of the Asian Research Centre
Murdoch
University, Perth, Western Australia
Overview
Over the past
few decades countries across the developing world and post-communist countries
have been transformed by political and economic upheavals. In recent years we
have seen dramatic events in the Middle East – known as the Arab Spring – and closer
to home we have seen a decade of political crisis in Thailand as red shirts and
yellow shirts have each claimed to be seeking “real democracy.”
This turmoil
in Thailand is generated as the “old” is challenged by the “new” in a range of
arenas: economy, civil society, politics and ideology. This part of the course
examines some aspects of these challenges using the rise and demise of Thaksin
Shinawatra. A wealthy businessman, Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai Party was elected in
2001 in the wake of the 1997-98 Asian Economic Crisis. Every time there has
been an election since then, a pro-Thaksin party has been elected to
government.
Yet each
time these governments have been elected, they have been thrown out either by
military coup, judicial intervention and/or large Bangkok-based demonstrations.
Thaksin and his government, and those associated with him, have been accused of
various offences and wrongdoing: offending the monarchy, constitutional
malfeasance, corruption, nepotism and cronyism, authoritarianism and human
rights abuses, amongst other crimes, immoralities and transgressions.
The forces
aligned for and against Thaksin and his parties provide a useful window on the
challenges facing modern Thailand, its politics and its economy. Over this
series of lectures, reading and tutorials, you are expected to develop a broad
understanding of these questions:
Who has controlled Thailand?
Who will control Thailand?
Who will benefit from this control?
Will control be democratic, authoritarian or
something else?
First
Week
In the
first week we look specifically at the prime ministership of Thaksin
Shinawatra. The lecture will introduce to Thailand, provide some background on
major concepts, and highlight aspects of the required reading, including: the
1997-98 Asian Economic Crisis; the 1997 Constitution; the monarchy; poverty and
inequality; judicialisation; yellow and red shirts, and the nature of Thaksin’s
political intervention.
Week
Two
This week,
we look back to the time before the prime ministership of Thaksin Shinawatra. The
lectures will introduce Thailand’s political history in a little more detail
and will continue to provide more on major concepts while also highlighting
aspects of the required reading, including: democracy and economic development;
the role of the military; the corruption discourse; the rising political power
of the monarchy; and democratization debates.
Week
Three
This week
we examine the period since the 2006 military coup that overthrew Prime
Minister Taaksin. The lectures will provide more on major concepts while also
highlighting aspects of the required reading, including: red shirts; yellow
shirts; judicialisation; wealth and politics; and monarchy and lese majeste.
Useful web-based material on Thailand
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