Publication

This commentary looks at the two faces of Thai politics – elected authoritarianism, as exemplified by the Thaksin Shinawatra government of 2001-2006, and military government, as illustrated by General Prayuth Chan-ocha's current regime – and concludes that neither option is ideal. What the country really needs is a government that combines electoral sources of legitimacy with some measure of moral authority and integrity. Sadly, it's a combination that elected officials in Thailand currently lack.