De-politicizing a polarized nation? Behind Thailand’s 2015 Constitution

Following the military coup of May 22, 2014, Thailand is once again preparing to promulgate a new constitution. Similar to the 1997 and 2007 constitutions, the current drafting process is designed to re-organize the political system to suppress “bad” politicians, and allow stronger, non-corrupt, and more effective politicians and political systems to triumph. Is this latest round of charter-writing simply another outbreak of constitutionalism that has long afflicted Thai politics? Or does it offer anything substantially new? 

On April 22, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings hosted a discussion by Duncan McCargo of the University of Leeds, as he examines aspects of the draft constitution and the ideological assumptions behind them. Joseph Liow, senior fellow and Lee Kuan Yew chair in Southeast Asia Studies at Brookings, moderated the discussion.