From dominance to power sharing: The military and politics in Thailand, 1973-1992

The study examines the role of the Royal Thai Army in the political transition process that took place in Thailand between 1973 and 1992. The study conceptualizes that the transition in Thailand in that period was a "transition through transaction" arguing that the Thai military initiated the process voluntarily. As a result, the transition process was relatively peaceful; the military was not forced to make a hasty return to the barracks and remained one of the major actors in the post-transition regime.;The basic question of this study is: why did the Thai Army agree to open up the political system and what was the impact on the army as an institution? The study argues that the Thai Army supported the transition process because democracy helped defuse internal tension and preserved the political role of the military. Moreover, the decision was the product of a "Dahlian calculation" among military leaders: the cost of staying in power was higher than the cost of withdrawing from politics.;The study examines developments in three sectors: the rise and fall of military factions, the development of new military doctrine, and military role expansion. Factionalism characterized military politics in the period. The factions agreed that the country had to transit from authoritarian rule to democratic government. Struggles among the military factions made the Army even weaker in the transition process.;At the same time, in order to fight the communists, the Army developed a new military doctrine. Army leaders realized that military measures based on counter-insurgency warfare would not be successful. A new military doctrine stated clearly that democracy was the key to success. As a result, the process of accepting democracy not only as a tool to fight communism but also as a desirable form of government for Thailand occurred inside the military organization. To fulfill this mission, the military's new role was designed to build up the democratic system and at the same time to protect democratic government. This certainly helped to make democracy become "the only game in town.";Owing to the new military doctrine, the Army in the post-transition regime expanded its role beyond military to social affairs. The army became involved in many social development projects at both national and local levels throughout the country. The military became not only fighters but also developers. More important, because of the nature of the transition path, the military could maintain its role in the post-transition regime. But the role of the military was not dominant as in the early period of the transition; the military had to share power with civilian politicians. Civilian control of the military became a key goal of the democratic movement; it remains an important aspect of democratic consolidation for Thai society in the future.