The 2014 Military Coup in Thailand: Implications for Political Conflicts and Resolution

Abstract

In 2014, the Thai army staged its thirteenth coup claiming to resolve the decade-long political conflict. This article seeks to analyze conflict resolution efforts by Thailands incumbent military regime and the way in which these efforts actually affect the trajectory of the conflict. Drawing on the Thai case, I argue that the juntas conflict resolution efforts aggravate the conditions conducive to conflict entrapment because: (1) military rule closes down a channel for meaningful dialogue among conflict parties; (2) the armys association with Thailands traditional elites implies the continuation of socio-economic inequality underpinning the current crisis; (3) military rule undermines Thailands development of democratic institutions needed to overcome the ongoing power struggle; and (4) the juntas political partisanship is likely to exacerbate social division in Thailand.