This study looks at praetorianism in Thailand; specifically, the second most powerful political institution in Thailand in 2023—the armed forces. The study contends that this military, as led by military strong¬men, has been able to persevere as a leading political actor principally because it has managed to hold on to its monopoly of violence outside of any oversight by elected civilian actors. This is because the military has continuously ousted those civilian governments that it has perceived to be harmful to its interests, has ensured that laws are in place that have maximized its legal benefits, has possessed an enormous budget, remained beyond the scrutiny of the judiciary, retained its power over the years as junior or senior associate of the monarchy in a partnership of power, and rationalized its clout as essential for protecting that monarchy (thus becoming a “monarchized military”) while guarantee¬ing national security. Persistent interventions by the military in Thai politics across time have led to the socially constructed belief among civilians that the military is either justified in protecting the king or cannot be stopped; soldiers themselves feel that they are privileged as royal protectors to intervene as they please. Thus, the praetorian character of the Thai polity is masked by the apparent need to guard monarchy, and the Thai armed forces have in many respects become a tool of the palace.

To be clear, the focus of this study is on the rapidly changing military strongmen and factions across Thai history. A secondary focus is placed upon the Thai military as an institution. In fact, the book looks at Thaimilitary history within the context of Thai political history, especially with regard to US-Thai relations after World War II, topics that are closely interrelated. Far less scrutiny is given to other aspects of the mil¬itary—its role in social life, politics, economics, culture, administration, art and technology. While the study's spotlight might seem limited, a thorough analysis of this sort across the period 1932–2023 has been sorely lacking from Thai studies, and this book thus fills an important gap. Other parts of the Thai military deserve research in other studies.