Friday, October 14, 2016

a worshipped king

many are going to worry about the loss of the benevolent veto that Bhumibol wields, an extra-constitutional apparatus that stabilises a politically unstable country. yet it's a riddle that's perplexed me for a long time, a discussion that Thailand avoids both in law and in culture - was his presence part of the reason the country hasn't been able to develop into a sustainable democracy? or did it prevent a slide into the kind of authoritarian regimes seen in the region, Africa and the Americas? or is the Thai situation simply too unique considering the people's adoration for their king?

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