The Elucidators: Decoding Global News

Thailand's Royal Mess

Episode Summary

We've got big trouble in the Land of Smiles, where a growing protest movement is squaring off against the country's retrograde monarch.

Episode Notes

This week on The Elucidators: Decoding Global News, we journey to Thailand, which most Westerners associate with pristine beaches and a welcoming, peaceful culture. Little do most outsiders know that the “Land of Smiles,” despite its many charms, has long been one of the least politically stable countries in the world. This year, tens of thousands of protestors have been in the streets of Bangkok and other major Thai cities, calling for changes to a supposedly constitutional monarchy that has been cooperating with the military to consolidate absolute power. Now Thailand stands on a knife’s edge between reform and escalation, and we’re here to give you the 411.

Episode Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

Further Reading:

  1. Explaining Thailand’s volatile politics
  2. Thailand Threatens to Censor Media Outlets as Protests Swell
  3. Thailand’s king seeks to bring back absolute monarchy

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