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Crossing Borders in South and Southeast Asia: Assessing Existing Problems through a New Lens Read chapter Read first chapter

2020 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

11. Arch-Royalist Autocracy Unlimited: Civil-Military Relations in Contemporary Thailand

Author : Paul Chambers

Published in: Rights and Security in India, Myanmar, and Thailand

Publisher: Springer Singapore

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Abstract

In 2019, Thailand’s military stands as only second to monarchy as the dominant political institution. For over a century, soldiers have stood at the apex of power and their influence looks set to persist either directly or indirectly. How and why has the armed forces achieved such preeminent power? What does continuing military involvement say about the contemporary state of Thai politics? How has this latest military junta sustained itself in power and what is the future of Thailand’s military? To answer these questions, this chapter contends that since 1980 military clout has persevered because of the armed forces’ role as the guardian of monarchy—itself a shadowy parallel state. The linchpin of Thailand’s parallel state is the linkage between the monarch and military, an asymmetrical alliance of power, with the latter as junior partner. Since 2014, the military has directly administered Thailand, ensuring royal power amidst the end of one reign (in 2016) and the beginning of another. Thailand’s “monarchized military” looks set to continue lording over the country into the future.

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Footnotes
1
Prem reportedly interfered in parliamentary politics by influencing 12 members of the Prajakorn Thai party to defect from the ruling coalition and join the opposition, thus enabling Democrat Chuan Leekpai to form a coalition government again (McCargo 2005: 510).
 
2
The concept of “parallel state” differs substantially from McCargo’s “network monarchy” and Merieau’s “deep state.” “Parallel state” prioritizes the asymmetrical connections primarily between a dominant partner—monarchy—and two junior partners—military and Privy Council, while other associated actors are more peripheral. “Network monarchy” is a monarch-led arrangement across a coterie of arch-royalist elites, though it “never achieved the conditions of domination” and had to work “primarily through the elected parliament” (McCargo 2005: 499–501). Merieau’s monarch-centered “deep state” is much more institutionalized and inclusive of civilian elites than either network monarchy or parallel state, with arch-royalist judges (backed by other multiple deep state actors) working as a “surrogate king” (see Merieau 2016: 445–466).
 
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Metadata
Title
Arch-Royalist Autocracy Unlimited: Civil-Military Relations in Contemporary Thailand
Author
Paul Chambers
Copyright Year
2020
Publisher
Springer Singapore
Book
Rights and Security in India, Myanmar, and Thailand

Print ISBN: 978-981-15-1438-8

Electronic ISBN: 978-981-15-1439-5

Copyright Year: 2020

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1439-5_11