Politisk legitimitet og demokrati i Thailand

Political legitimacy and democracy in Thailand

Jensen, Emil

4. semester

Politik og Administration, Kandidat

2011

2011-08-15

102

I begyndelsen af det 21. århundrede oplevede Thailand igen politisk ustabilitet. I april–maj 2010 stillede store protester spørgsmål ved Abhisit-regeringens legitimitet, og militæret afsluttede opgøret med omfattende vold. Uroens rødder kan spores til militærkuppet i 2006, der fjernede den demokratisk valgte Thaksin-regering. Kuppet, støttet af det thailandske establishment og den konservative elite, viste deres evne til at gribe ind i den politiske proces for at fastholde kontrol. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan politisk legitimitet – offentlighedens accept af en regerings ret til at styre – bruges af den konservative elite til at fastholde magten. Ved at analysere Abhisit-regeringens offentlige fortælling, der beskriver Thailand som et liberalt demokrati, belyses, hvordan legitimitet opbygges. Afhandlingen argumenterer for, at traditionelle normer og værdier – især monarkiet – spiller en central rolle. Den viser også, at den retoriske brug af begrebet liberalt demokrati har betydning for Thailands demokratisering.

In the early twenty-first century, Thailand again faced political instability. In April–May 2010, large protests challenged the Abhisit government’s legitimacy, and the military ended the standoff with significant violence. The roots of this turmoil trace back to the 2006 military coup that removed the democratically elected Thaksin government. Supported by the Thai establishment and conservative elite, the coup showed their ability to intervene in politics to consolidate control. This thesis examines how political legitimacy – the public’s acceptance of a government’s right to rule – helps the conservative elite remain in power. By analyzing the Abhisit government’s discourse, which presents Thailand as a liberal democracy, it explores how legitimacy is constructed. The thesis argues that traditional norms and values – especially the monarchy – are central to this process. It also shows that the rhetorical use of liberal democracy has an important impact on Thailand’s democratization.

[Dette resumé er genereret ved hjælp af AI]

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