THE COMPARATIVE POLITICAL ROLE OF THE MILITARY BEFORE AND AFTER THE COUP IN THE YEARS OF 2006 AND 2014

Abstract

The objectives of this research included: 1) to study the factors that influenced the military's role in Thai politics; 2) to study the role of the military in causing political changes; and 3) to compare the similarities and differences between the coups in 2006 and 2014. This research was a qualitative research by studying from the analysis of academic documents, books, printed media, various related researches and in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 politically involved persons including: 1) military officers with political roles; 2) military academics; and 3) politicians. Purposive sampling method was used that important information could be collected for analysis. The results of the research were as follows. 1) The factors that led the military to have a role in Thai politics were outside the military institution. The environment conditions outside the army was a condition that led to the military coup (also known as environmental factors), for example: the state of economic problems; socio-political problems; conflicts with violence. 2) The role of the military caused political changes. That was because Thai political and governmental systems rather led to authoritarianism. All the military coups obstructed democratic process and made political and governmental systems fallen into weaknesses and failures. The Thai political role is hard to change because it has fallen into the trap of vicious cycle specially the role of the military in taking coups. 3) In comparison of the similarities and differences among all the coups,  the role of military in various coups were both similar and different. The similarities were that the leaders of the coups were usually the most powerful military leaders using tactics in seizing powers from civic governments. After each successful coup, a shadow government was established and the military still had its power to control and command behind the scenes. As for the differences, in 2006, the coup leaders did not want to inherit power among themselves. When the political conflicts occurred, the military then played a role by immediately seizing power through the coup. The role of the army was, thus, unchanging.  The latest political conflict in 2014 was considered a crisis. The coup leaders wanted to inherit their powers. When a political conflict occurred, the role of the military during political crises would change according to the circumstances of the society. Then politics was intervened by the new set of legitimacy that the military gradually changed their roles in accordance with the occurring political situation. All the mentioned coups were, thus, not absolutely similar but they are different according to factors, methods and socio-political contexts of the leaders.