As demand for water for the 700 million people living in the world’s most densely-populated river basins – the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra – rises, new tensions are surfacing that threaten South Asia’s stability. To respond, The Asia Foundation just announced an expansion of its partnership with the Skoll Global Threats Fund, to strengthen access to information on transboundary issues and foster a regional dialogue between stakeholders on the critical issue of international water sharing. 
Posts By James Klein
Abhisit’s Big Test
April 14, 2009
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is under the microscope this week for his handling of the volatile protests waging in the streets of Bangkok since March 26, and more recently in the seaside town of Pattaya, where Asian leaders were evacuated from a summit meeting. Fueled by nightly video broadcasts by fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin [...]
Topics: Elections | Governance
Countries: Thailand
In Thailand: A Reality Check
December 3, 2008
On December 2, 2008, Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled to disband three core parties in Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat’s beleaguered ruling coalition government: the People Power Party (PPP), Chat Thai (CT), and Matchima Thipataya (MT). The Court also revoked the voting rights of the executives of the three parties for five years, effectively banning them from [...]
Topics: Elections | Governance
Countries: Thailand
Bangkok’s State of Emergency: The End Game?
September 3, 2008
Once right-wing factions of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) began busing pro-government supporters into Bangkok under the banner of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) to confront the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the violence that erupted was predictable. PAD has been protesting against the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej for the past [...]
Countries: Thailand
In Thailand: Court Cases to Determine Future of Thai Politics
July 16, 2008
Even before the cabinet of Samak Sundaravej was endorsed on February 6, 2008, many analysts questioned how long his People Power Party (PPP) coalition government would last. After all, Samak was the one who described his own cabinet as “a bit ugly.” Best estimates at the time were that his government would last until October [...]
Topics: Governance
Thailand: Misperceptions of the Referendum
September 12, 2007
On Sunday, August 19, 2007, Thailand’s Election Commission organized the Kingdom’s first referendum in history. Voters were given the opportunity to vote either “Yes” or “No” to adopt the newly drafted Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, which would provide the ground rules for a new elected civilian government to replace the Interim Constitution of [...]
In Thailand: No Kangaroo Court Waiting for Thaksin Shinawatra
March 7, 2007
According to the Thai media, one reason given for the decline in popularity of the Council for National Security (CNS) ” led by coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and the interim government of General Surayud Chulanont — has been their failure after five months in office to bring Thaksin Shinawatra and members of his cabinet [...]
Countries: Thailand
In Thailand: Thaksin’s Media Blitz
January 29, 2007
Thailand’s ousted Thaksin Shinawatra can return home if he stays out of politics, interim prime minister Surayud Chulanot has said. The Thai print media extensively reported Thaksin’s censored CNN interview, in which he claimed that “enough was enough” as well as similar interviews with the international print media purporting that he has no intention of [...]
Countries: Thailand