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Mark S. Cogan is an Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Kansai Gaidai University, located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He is also a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Specializing in Southeast Asian studies, Professor Cogan’s research focuses on democratization, security, and human rights in Thailand and Cambodia. Previously, he served as a communications specialist with several United Nations agencies in multiple duty stations covering Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
As the Kingdom gears up for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Thailand considers its opportunities in the face of changing global events
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Nov 03, 2022
As the Kingdom looks beyond Southeast Asia, bilateral trade, security and economic cooperation with the South Asian power is increasingly important
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Sep 28, 2022
The Kingdom's foreign policy shows recent signs of leaning towards China, despite premature assumptions of its defiance of Beijing.
By
Mark. S. Cogan
- Sep 02, 2022
The former prime minister's history of pragmatism and diplomacy in Southeast Asia has set a precedent for current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jul 22, 2022
The U.S. president's recently announced Indo-Pacific economic framework signals American interest in the region but its nations could wait a long time to reap its benefits
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jun 29, 2022
The Kingdom's strength in culture, arts and hospitality is hindered by the hard power of the country’s military-backed government
By
Mark S. Cogan
- May 20, 2022
The Japanese Prime Minister's visit to the Kingdom will mark the 135th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the countries and an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation
By
Mark S. Cogan
- May 03, 2022
Cambodia is left with two major election backers: Japan and China. Both countries view the Kingdom as a source of natural resources and market for export, but while Japan lags behind China in investment and access into the Kingdom, it has a broader strategy
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Mar 02, 2022
During his first year in office, the US president has been inattentive to Thailand and unable to strengthen ties with strategic Asian partners
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Dec 23, 2021
As nations recognise UN Human Rights Day, turbulent political regimes in Thailand continue to degrade opportunities to implement the event’s inherent values
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Dec 10, 2021
A periodic evaluation process by UN members has been diluted in Thailand by the government’s dismissal of significant human rights concerns
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Nov 29, 2021
The apocalyptic drama draws parallels with Thai residents and migrant workers who are drowning in debt and living in desperation
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Nov 15, 2021
Images of Thailand’s deceased king still inspire a template for national leadership, while the current monarch continues to struggle for legitimacy
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Oct 13, 2021
A recent ruling on the infamous investigation into Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister has put the NACC in the spotlight. Mark S. Cogan examines the need for accountability and reform.
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Sep 24, 2021
Misguided policies, neglect and mistreatment by the Thai government and school authorities have caused a mental health crisis among students. Globe columnist Mark S. Cogan explains fundamental reforms are a long way away
By
Mark Cogan
- Sep 13, 2021
This month, a top-secret document emerged in Thailand. It revealed not only a list of 183 people deemed enemies of Prayut's military-backed government – among them a monk, a journalist and two 15-year-old girls – but also a paranoid state's long-standing urge to purge 'unThai' elements
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Aug 27, 2021
Despite cases of lèse-majesté piling up and pro-democracy protesters facing serious charges like sedition, Thailand’s third time through the Universal Periodic Review later this year will most likely be as inconsequential as previous UN human rights inspections
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Aug 06, 2021
Thailand's vast informal sector accounts for the majority of the kingdom's workforce. Now, amidst the pandemic that has interrupted vital industries, the lack of government support and planning for this large chunk of low-wage workers has been exposed
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jul 26, 2021
Thailand's millions of migrant workers have long acted as a scapegoat for many of the kingdom's social ills. With Covid-19 outbreaks occurring in these cramped and impoverished communities, they've again become a go-to for authorities looking for someone to blame
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jul 06, 2021
This week 30 years ago, the car of vocal Thai labour organiser Thanong Po-Arn was found abandoned in Bangkok, the culmination of months of death threats. His presumed murder remains unsolved, but Thailand's trend of enforced disappearances is alive and well
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jun 24, 2021
In Thailand, where inequality runs rampant, the rich, powerful and connected are rarely held responsible for their crimes. In the country's south, the lack of justice for one community in a years-long struggle for land rights is a powerful reminder of this reality
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jun 09, 2021
May is a month with a dark recent history in Thailand, from the 1992 Black May events that would see 52 people lose their lives in protests against strongman Suchinda Kraprayoon, to the 2014 coup d'etat that brought Prayut Chan-o-cha to power
By
Mark S. Cogan
- May 21, 2021
When Cambodia passed its infamous LANGO bill in 2015, it helped bring about a new era of single-party rule. Now, Thailand seems to be following suit, with the Cabinet tabling a draft law on NGOs in February which Mark S. Cogan argues would devastate civil society
By
Mark S. Cogan
- May 04, 2021
Last week, it emerged that American academic and long-term Thailand resident David Streckfuss had his work permit terminated and visa revoked. The lèse majesté expert is merely the latest victim of the kingdom's academic crackdown, says Professor Mark S. Cogan
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Apr 21, 2021
For journalists in Thailand, more tools and opportunities are available than ever before to capture scenes that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. But Thai authorities have pushed back, threatening both subtly and not to punish the messengers, leaving reporters in a bind of self-censorship
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Apr 01, 2021
The outsized roles played by the Thai and Myanmar militaries in the affairs of their respective countries has led to a close bond between the two. Now, the Myanmar coup has brought them closer than ever – but at what cost to Thailand's standing at home and abroad?
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Mar 04, 2021
As Thailand's economy has grown increasingly reliant on Chinese tourism and investment in recent decades, so too has public distrust of the Asian giant's influence in the kingdom – a tension that risks spilling over says columnist Professor Mark S. Cogan
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Feb 22, 2021
Thailand has seen a surge in lèse majesté cases as the government cracks down on the blossoming pro-democracy movement. But not just a new tactic by current military-affiliated rulers, opposition voices have long been cast as a national security issue in the kingdom
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jan 29, 2021
With Thailand's youth-led protests rumbling on, in part motivated by the extreme economic hardship experienced among average citizens this past year, Professor Mark S. Cogan argues addressing the kingdom's wealth gap is essential to easing political tension
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jan 20, 2021
While some commentators assess that US-Thai relations have improved under outgoing president Donald Trump, Professor Mark S. Cogan argues that his legacy with the kingdom is in fact one defined by four years of missed opportunities and political missteps
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Jan 01, 2021
Thailand's military generals seized power in 2014 vowing to end the kingdom's endemic corruption, but what has followed has been a weakening of the very institutions needed to combat graft. Professor Mark S. Cogan argues the antidote lays in a thriving democracy
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Dec 16, 2020
In mid-November, Thai police employed heavy-handed tactics as they deployed chemical-laced water cannons, tear gas canisters and the suspected use of rubber bullets – a counterproductive move that Mark S. Cogan argues will only lead to an escalation of violence
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Dec 02, 2020
As Thailand's monarchy is rocked by unprecedented public protests, what would a diminished royal institution mean for the power and influence exerted by the kingdom's military?
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Nov 16, 2020
With pro-democracy protestors in Bangkok becoming increasingly emboldened in their calls for significant reform of the Thai monarchy, professor Mark S. Cogan asks, can the royal institution emerge from this crisis intact?
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Nov 02, 2020
When social media giant Twitter blocked nearly 1,000 accounts last week linked to the Royal Thai Army for spreading disinformation, few familiar with how the government of Prayut Chan-o-Cha operates would have been surprised
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Oct 14, 2020
With October 6 marking the 44th anniversary of the Thammasat University Massacre, in which scores of students were killed in cold blood, Professor Mark S. Cogan reflects on how Thailand arrived at one of its darkest ever moments
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Oct 06, 2020
As the youth-led social movement gathers speed in Thailand, professor Mark S. Cogan reflects on the successes and failures of other protests to outline what essential tools of non-violent political action demonstrators have at their disposal
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Oct 02, 2020
While the Thai government and monarchy are rocking as demonstrations grow in size and symbolism, protestors only need to look to countries like Ukraine and Belarus to see the dangers of a regime backed into the corner
By
Mark S. Cogan
- Sep 22, 2020
