Customer Reviews

Thailand Unhinged: Unraveling the Myth of Thai-Style Democracy

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The fact that the author is a colleague has hopefully not had too great an influence on my view that this is a very important book. After all, I'm not going to get any personal or professional profit from an endorsement, even a ringing one like this. Millions of tourists visit Thailand every year, but whether they are aware of how the politics of the place actually work is another matter. Arguably, Thailand is more confusing than ever, because at least formally, it now seems to be a Western-style parliamentary monarchy. This arrangement, however, is very much the lipstick on the pig, so far as the author is concerned. In 'Thailand Unhinged', the reader is taken through the history of twentieth-century Thailand, and though the focus is very much on the modern era of Thaksin and after, the author paints with a broad brush. The chapter in which he steps back to reflect on the current state of Thai society and culture contains some particularly lively and illuminating pages on the economics of the sex trade in Bangkok.

The main message of the book, though, is that real power in Thailand is wielded by an informal network that comprises the royal family and its hangers on, big business, and military 'big men' who can back up their threats with lethal violence if this cosy arrangement is threatened. Adjectives like 'excoriating' spring to mind for the author's treatment of the Thai political class. No-one, apart from the much put-upon ordinary Thai who would like a larger say in his or her own government, emerges from these pages in good shape. No violence has been too awful, no trickery too vile, for it to have figured in modern Thai history. At the same time, perhaps even for that very reason, the author manages to avoid making the story a simple one of good versus evil, and to penetrate to the heart of the power relationships in the Thai polity.

This is not strictly an academic work, but it is carefully documented. There are plenty of references for those who want to follow up on the factual claims about recent Thai history that are being made. Even as the book stands, however, it is likely the author will persuade you that the true shape of Thai politics is frequently only obscured by the rhetoric and the legal and constitutional structures in terms of which the country is formally governed. At the same time, his passion for the place and its people shines through; despite all the problems he relates, he retains at least some qualified and cautious optimism that a better future is possible, and even has some practical suggestions to make about the nature of the changes required. Published at a time of great change within Thailand itself, this timely book deserves to find a wide audience. It is unlikely to win its author any friends amongst those currently in power there, but it is a very good introduction to anyone wishing to know more about contemporary Thai politics.

Today I finished the book, after reading in it all of the time I had becaurse it was like reading a detective novel.

I ordered it in Amazon the day I had finished Pasuk Phongpaichit & Chris Bakers "Thaksin" half year old up to date reprinting. These books fits good together and are of current interest after the long demonstration in Bangkok, this year, which startet the 13th marts and first finished more than 2 month later after 88 killed by military, and 37 missing.

And I can se that Ferrara, becaurse he lives outside Thailand, can tell more abouth the dark side abouth who that have the power in Thailand. And as he write, 100 years ago there was more free press in Thailand than today. And as he write, back i 1290 CE the Thailand king had on his throne written much about being a democratic and a free contry, nearly including the words we connects to France under the revolution 500 years later: "Liberty, equality, and fraternity". And how the military and richt persons sinse 1932 have gone the oppostit way, after they startet having the power, to say that people out in country are not clever enough to understand politic and thereby wouting.

In some ways it's a shame that we in the book don't have about the demonstration this year, but after reading the book it's clear to se that it would happen as it's the same that has happened againg and again since 1932.

He writes that that Thaksin problem was not that he, as other who was choused to rule the contry, in his pcket got money from the state, but as he got the people to think about democracy. The power they had by wouting. And this made the generals remove Thaksin.

Some of the many references in the book was to BBC. And then going to BBC in my PC I found that BBC was much deeper in whatr was going on in Thailand, than my danis news.

In the book there allso is a good chapter "Thailand for sale" which has much to do with prostitution concerning money and foreingers.

Before having finished the book I went to Amazon to se if Ferrara had been writing other book about politiks but as a shame not. But I'm looking forewards to see if he will be writing more of the same kind.

I am traveling to South East Asia later this year. Part of why I am going there is to get a better understanding of the business environment and hopefully what makes the region such a hot bed of opportunity. When I sat down to analyze what I already knew about the region; I realized it wasn't that much. So I fell back on my undergraduate training in political science to try and get a better understanding of what had happened in the recent past, and what could be expected in the future.
After reading Federico Ferrara's work I feel I have a much better understanding of how the Thai political process has worked for the past 75 years, and what could be on the horizon. This book is broken down into 6 chapters, each taking a look at unique aspects of the political reality that is Thailand. While each chapter could stand on its own, the combined picture and history is what the book's value is really apparent.
In all the truth the first chapter of the book was challenging to get though. Not because of the writing, which was great, but the topic. All the abrupt changes to the Thai political status over the recent history makes for challenging reading, but also underscores how challenging it must have been for a country to survive all those regime changes.

I bought this book after the May riots in 2010 - I wanted to better understand the context of Thai politics. It is a very interesting and comprehensive book about Thai politics although I note it sources a lot of material from works by the same publisher and it could do with a little bit more referencing if possible. Minor criticisms though. It is fairly easy to read but it could use, perhaps, a list of the 'characters' somewhere as the reader gets a bit lost if they are picking up and putting down the book to read over a period of time. I think the book is very good though as a good overview and the writer obviously has a keen interest in the area and a passion for the Thai people. Well done! (But I still find the cover image absolutely scary! and I folded it over so my Thai/Asian colleagues here in Australia didn't think it was an attack on Thailand or the Thais which it could be interpreted to be).

well written and gives excelent picture of current reality in Thaialnd. Author obviously has a very good understanding of issues facing the country and as result, current state of problems, just starting to boil over. Shame, but it has been long in coming.