Presented by Dr. Paul Chambers, Naresuan University, Thailand

Who’s who in the Thai military? Why and how has the military evolved to enjoy the enormous power it wields in 2024? Why have coups occurred? What is the future of the Thai military? Praetorian Kingdom: A History of Military Ascendancy in Thailand, published in August 2024 by ISEAS Publishing, Singapore, addresses these and other related questions. The book is a chronology of the armed forces in Thailand, from its founding as a permanent standing army in 1852 and service to the absolute monarchy, its martial dominance roughly from 1932 until 1973, reasserted power after 1976 until 1988/1992, backseat role in the 1992-2006 guided democracy, and reinvigorated sway since 2006.

Part of The Council on Thai Studies (COTS) Conference 2024, sponsored by The Center for International Studies, the Contemporary History Institute, Ohio University Libraries, Classics and Religious Studies, and The Scripps College of Communication.