Thailand's Struggle for Democracy:

This political biography portrays one of the world's most fascinating statesmen and depicts Thailand as a nation at war with itself. David Van Praagh traces the history of the country's often thwarted attempts to become increasingly democratic—from the 1930s until after the shocking clashes of May 1992 in the streets of Bangkok between the military and the middle class.

Van Praagh also incisively compares other Southeast Asian countries' experiences with democratization and analyzes the implications for Western foreign policy.