Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book defines the concepts relating to the royal institution, in the Western world as in Thailand. It describes the evolution of Kingship under the Chakri Dynasty, caught in between tradition, nation and, since 1932, constitution. The book describes the main tools supporting the efficacy of contemporary Thai Cakravartin royalty at the threshold of the 2000s, that is, three sets of instruments, political, economic and symbolic, all working beyond the constitutional frame. It explains why in spite of the strengthening of the framework in which kingship was deployed following the definitive return of King Rama IX, political crisis has persisted since the middle of the 2000s.