Other than coup

Soft power
An answer to
Military Intervention other than Coup

By Colonel Sutat Jarumanee
Deputy Commanding General
4th Infantry Division

The writer would like to give fully credit to General Saprang Kalayanamitra, Deputy Permanent Secretary, MOD for his ideas which have inspired this piece of work. The writer’s thanks must also go to Colonel John Cole, U.S. Army (Retired), Colonel Surasak Bhannasret, Director of Strategic Research and Development Department, RTA and Major Kwansucha Hongskrailers, Lecturer in Political Science and International Relations, CRMA for their assistances.

The Thai Military has long carried its distinctive role – safeguarding the nation. Within that role, the military has always exerted its “hard power” to the public. Although it is no alien to the Thai society, the growing complicated political environment at present day has hindered the military to exert its power through the tough channel – specifically staging a coup.

This article thus discusses how can the military opts to exercise its “soft power” instead of turning to “hard power” every time the nation is in crisis. It is not hard power, that successful military leaders actually use in leading their men but it is soft power – the power that inspires. This article also believes that such military leaders can also lead the Thai society in time of need. In other words, men in uniform also have rights to introduce “Good Governance” concept to the society through its “soft power” channel.

By exercising soft power, men in uniform need no adaptation at all since all the necessary characteristics required for good leadership are already within them – integrity, patriotism, and devotion to the nation.

This article ends with the emphasis that there is an urgent need for men in uniform to take an active action to exercise its soft power in order to bring justice and true stability to the nation. Any late action could lead to missing an opportunity to take a lead and being replaced by distorted politicians who are always ready to exploit the nation for the sake of their own interests.

The Thai Military has always carried its distinctive roles – safeguarding the nation with impeccable precision and unwavering devotion. Nonetheless, at this moment of turmoil, the military has not yet done enough to exercise its many unique capabilities in this role. In fact, the military could, should it decide to do so, do a lot more to influence the current situation while still remaining within the two extremes – staying idle and not engaged at the one end and staging a coup at another.

If one takes a closer look at what certain politicians and elected officials have been doing the present crisis, one would not only see how they have been illegally “exercising” their power, but also, how they have also been “exploiting” these same powers beyond the limits of any legally/constitutionally defined boundaries of legality, legitimacy, morality, stability, security, and or national interest. Worse than anyone can imagine, these same politicians /elected officials are doing everything in their power to manipulate, distort and ultimately destroy the true meaning of Thai democracy and the rule of law.

Given the severity of the present crisis and what is at stake, can the military, as one of the strongest institutions in the kingdom, really afford to ignore at what is happening to our country. Can the military also afford to continue to regard the current situation as irrelevant to its role and continue to ignore its responsibilities and remain on the sidelines? Isn’t it about time that we, who are members of the military, took the matter of distorted politicians and corrupt elected officials into serious consideration and decide to do something about it?

Worse still, is a key factor which also serves to further exacerbate the situation that is because we are living in the “society of ignorance”, it is much easier for these same distorted politicians and corrupt elected officials to continue to further exercise, exploit and illegally ac*****ulate their power. In Thai society, once you gain power, you gain everything – including wealth and influence. By this I mean, once politicians come into power, they do everything possible to remain in power. Any kind of activity ranging from legal, semi-legal to outright illegal are conducted in order to strengthen their own personal wealth and influence. More importantly, the activities of these same distorted politicians and corrupt elected officials are protected by law and the system of democracy (in Thailand most people still regard democracy as only a form and not a functioning real process). Consequently, most of these people are safe and sound under the so-called “democratic umbrella.”

The aforementioned impacts and consequences have not only had a severe negative effects on the true principles of democracy and rule of law but have also served to severely damage the core values of the Thai people. However, far worse than that, the activities of these distorted politicians and corrupt elected officials are also harming the nation’s most respected and revered institutions – the Monarchy, the institution for which all men in uniform have vowed to protect and to die for.

Isn’t it our sworn duty to protect our beloved and sacred kingdom? Are our sole duties limited to only protecting the nation from external aggressors outside the country? Does our military institution really have nothing to do with politics even if the same politics has gone too far and is now serving to undermine our most beloved institution and our own core values.

Within our own military spectrum, which is a part of constitutionally defined mandate, there is a multi-dimensional space available for us to do more tasks. The space we are talking about should be understood in the meaning of “Integrity space” rather than the “Grey area”. By the integrity space the author is referring to the space in which the military can effectively maneuver its means and transform its “hard power” into “soft power.” As stated above, it can be said that the military has its right to protect the nation from all foreign and domestic threat, be it modern or unconventional. For it is the duty of the military to also focus on threat from internally generated, manipulated, undemocratic, and criminally based domestic politics. The military can choose to exert its soft power before turning to hard power in order to deal with unconventional conflicts. It would be better if the military relied only on using its soft power to resolve conflicts rather than having to resort to using its raw hard power – including the staging of another coup!

How can our military be accepted as “Precursor for legitimacy”? Or in the worse case that the military has to exert its hard power, how can the “hard” role of military still be considered right and acceptable? How can the military bring “Good Governance concept” to the Thai society?

Soft power can be described as “the second face of power” – the indirect way to get what you want. Soft power rests on the ability to shape the preferences of others – getting others to want the outcomes that you want. Here come the questions. How can we (the military) correct all the things/problems currently going on in the kingdom’s political arena without breaking rules of law ourselves? Or how can we fix all the things that are wrong by using soft power in order to continue to be legitimate in the eyes of the society?

In order for the military to effectively exercise soft power, premium grade leadership and strong characteristics such as integrity, patriotism, selfless serving to the nation are highly required and are essential ingredients to the process. It is also noteworthy that the said characteristics are all the things which the military already possess.

The term “taking sides” in a military context is far more different from that understood by others. One should bear in mind that we in the military cannot position ourselves in a neutral position – which is a point located somewhere in between good and evil, right and wrong. In other words, we cannot continue to remain on the sidelines doing nothing while our Thai society is tearing itself apart. There is a need for all of us to clearly understand that it is our duty to take sides in this conflict – the side that will yield the best interests to the nation. One must also not take for granted that “taking sides” in the current crisis simply means only becoming a member of a certain party with no real input or participation in the final outcome. As the guardian of the state, we, who are members of the military must never forget that we should not be afraid to take any action which is needed in order to protect our sacred and beloved nation. We must support every right action that yields prosperity and integrity to the kingdom. Any dangerous, illegal or disloyal action must be identified, confronted and eliminated without regards for the perpetrator’s rank or elected position.

Although the concept of soft power seems to be unfamiliar to the military mindset due to its conventional structure of the organization, it is never too late to learn this new role and apply it with the current situation. In order to maximize the application of leadership in soft power context, the leader should “pull” rather than “push” and “motivate” rather than “coerce.” Why are most soldiers so willing to be led, even to die in mission? The answer is because most see the same way as their leaders do – that there is something which is far more important than their own lives. Is it possible for the Thai Military to lead the nation in the time of crisis?

By this I mean even a few words made by trusted military leaders can mean a lot to the officers and the men on the line. In the time of crisis such as that which we currently have in the present day, a short statement delivered from a charismatic leader can lead people in the society to a correct way of thinking and acting. Any move or action from the Kingdom’s strongest institution such as the military does count. Even a “below the radar” semi passive action such as a small localized boycott or protest in a remote province without much media coverage are good examples. Thus, it is the duty of all men in uniform to fully understand the role of military in society and know how and when to react in a time of national crisis – no matter how critical and/or complex the situation may be. As long as the military stands firm in maintaining our personal and institutional integrity and by taking the high road on the perspective of patriotism, we will never waver from our mission by making unnecessarily mistakes in taking sides, taking actions and or in taking the lead.

If men in uniform still avoid exercising “soft power” since it is not something they are familiar with, others, who may even be more evil may instead step in and grab the opportunity to mislead the society. Since democracy in Thailand has almost always been manipulated by distorted and corrupt politicians, how can we be so certain that our nation will always be safe from being exploited and distorted by the same people? Does being professional soldier simply mean staying away from politics?.

In order to achieve success in this complicated political environment we must continue to remain united and devoted solely to our primary mission which is to preserve the security and the sanctity of our beloved Monarchy and the heart of our nation.

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References

Finer, S.E. The Man on Horseback: The Role of the Military in Politics. London and Dunmow: Pall mall press, 1962.
Huntington, S.P. Political Order in Changing Societies. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1968.
Nye, J.S. Soft Power: The Means to success in World Politics. PublishAffairsTM, Peseus
Books Group, 2004.
Pye, L. “The Process of Political Modernization,” in The Role of the Military in Underdeveloped Countries. Princeton and New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1962.
Welch C.E. and Smith A.K. Military Role and Rule: Perspective on Civil-Military Relations,
North Scituate, Massachusetts: Duxbury Press, 1974.

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