Asian Themes

Paul M. Handley

This book has been rather controversial in Thailand. But it is a good starting place for readers keen to understand the dynamics of the recent coup — blessed by the palace, and some say even set in motion by it — removing Thaksin Shinawatra. It conveys the central space held by monarchy in Thailand’s politics. And on the sidelines, one gets a sense of the country’s long and turbulent history of coups, of the importance of having the military on one’s side to retain power in “the land of smiles”.