Praetorians, Profiteers or Professionals? Studies on the Militaries of Myanmar and Thailand

"Praetorians, Profiteers or Professionals? -- Studies on the Militaries of Myanmar and Thailand, a collection of essays by various authors, sheds further light on the role of the armed forces outside the traditional limits of defense. The chapter by Paul Chambers, an academic expert on the Thai military, states that two conditions have enabled the generals to dominate Thailand. The first is the military's close association with the monarchy, which the generals have pledged to defend. In return they have gained legitimacy for their political forays. The second is an ideology they have evolved over more than a century to "rationalize the legitimacy of interventionism to rescue, defend and develop the nation."

Emphasizing the ideologies and economic activities of the militaries of two large Mainland Southeast Asian neighbours, this volume transcends clichés about coups, coercion, caudillos and kings. Its findings will challenge the thinking of even long-time observers of the region, not least through its comparative perspective and the fresh understanding of the roles and orientations of the armed forces of Myanmar and Thailand that that perspective suggests.