The Thaksinization of Thailand

The 1997 economic crisis ended two decades of pluralism in Thai politics and helped create the conditions for the landslide election victory in January 2001 of Thaksin Shinawatra, a fabulously wealthy telecommunications magnate often compared with Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi. Prime minister Thaksin has since exercised an extra-ordinary degree of personal dominance over the Thai political scene. The emergence of Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai (Thais love Thai) Party has transformed Thailand’s electoral landscape, rendering previous analyses of Thai politics substantially outdated. This book will examine Thaksin’s background, his business activities, the emergence of Thai Rak Thai, his relationship with the military, Thaksin’s use of rhetoric through media such as radio, his wider political economy networks, and the future direction of Thai politics. This detailed but gripping study draws on extensive research by two leading specialists in the field.

Charts, Tables, Preface and Acknoledgements
Introduction: Who is Thaksin Shinawatra?
Thanksin and the Politics of Telecommunications
Thai Rak Thai: A New Form of Thai Party?
Thaksin and the Repoliticization of the Military
Thaksin's Political Discourse
Thaksin's New Political Economy Networks
Bibliography, Index

"... Written from a more critical and broader perspective." Reviewed by Karel Jansen, Development and Change, The Netherlands

“It is strong in historical context, and does justice to a number of competing academic interpretations of Thailand. It also provides great detail on subjects including the repoliticization of the Thai military and the media influence and style of Mr. Thaksin.” Reviewed by Joe Studwell, Far Eastern Economic Review

“…a fascinating and detailed account of new patterns of wealth and power that amount to a “Thaksinisation” of Thailand’s political and economic order.” Reviewed by Kevin Hewison, The Bangkok Post

"This excellent book, the product of a joint effort between a political scientist (McCargo) and a political economist (Ukrist), considerably deepens and extends our knowledge of the Thaksin phenomenon…. McCargo and Ukrist’s book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding ‘‘Thaksinization’’ and what is clearly an extraordinary chapter in modern Thailand’s political history." Reviewed by Andrew Brown, Journal of Contemporary Asia vol. 37, 2

"Much of the book is meticulously arranged, assembling a good range of academic, anecdotal and media material to support a wide-ranging thesis about Thaksin and his influence on Thailand." "Mccargo and Ukrist have made a special contribution to our understanding of Thaksin and his Thailand." "…this is essential reading." Reviewed by Nicholas Farrelly, The Asian Journal of Social Science, vol. 33, no. 3, 2005

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The Thaksinization of Thailand

by Duncan McCargo & Ukrist Pathmanand

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