Coup king crisis

The prospects of the inevitable end of the Bhumibol era loomed large over 21st century Thailand. Events have now taken their course, and King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been crowned. The new King is beginning to make his presence felt, but in important ways Thailand is still in an interregnum: a time when the old order is dying but a new one struggles to be born. The military staged a coup in 2014, primarily, it is argued here, to take control over the royal transition. Vajiralongkorn, the military, and the institutions of Bhumibol’s monarchy began to construct a working relationship against challenges from the faction of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, overthrown in a coup in 2006, but still popular and still a perceived threat to the power and position of the monarchy and the military. This volume examines the royal transition in Thailand, from the 2014 coup through to the 2017 Constitution and the 2019 election. The royal transition sparked a crisis that pressured important institutions of the nation, from the politicized judiciary to the troubled Sanga or priesthood. The period of waiting has influenced all aspects of Thai governance, from foreign policy to economic management, to human rights and the spread of self-censorship. This volume, which brings together some of the leading writers on Thailand, is the first book-length analysis of this deep transition.