Charlie Thame
@charliethame.bsky.social
360 followers 290 following 89 posts
Assoc. Prof. of International Relations, Thammasat University, Bangkok. IR, critical theory, political economy, Southeast Asia.
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charliethame.bsky.social
The Tripartite Structure of Critical International Theory
doi.org/10.1017/S175...

For those interested in critical theory / IR, my latest, OA in @internatltheory.bsky.social

Part homage to Andrew Linklater (@interpolaber.bsky.social), part statement of my approach to IR, developed through his
Reposted by Charlie Thame
cominsitu.bsky.social
21st century battle of green state capitalism vs brown climate barbarism off to a good start
jonasnahm.com
2/ Chinese firms have committed $227+ billion across 461 green manufacturing projects in 54 countries since 2011 - with 88% of investment occurring just since 2022. This dwarfs the $200 billion Marshall Plan (in today's dollars).
charliethame.bsky.social
Congratulations! The cover looks great too!
charliethame.bsky.social
I seem to remember Parit (Penguin), one of the first to go on hunger strike and a brilliant student of history, writing about his inspiration somewhere. The Irish republicans were among them, but I think there were local antecedents too.
charliethame.bsky.social
Looking forward to reading this! I wonder how it compares with Thai activists' use of this tactic following the crackdown on the 2021 pro-democracy movement.
charliethame.bsky.social
more sociologically grounded, praxeologically attuned, and normatively realist; more Hegel and Marx than Kant. The paper then outlines what this might entail.

@universitypress.cambridge.org
charliethame.bsky.social
I argue that legitimate criticism of his neo-Kantian content of his project has detracted from its tripartite form and that the “hard” revolutionary tradition deserves greater prominence today:
charliethame.bsky.social
Andrew was one of the “great” international theorists. However, his influence as a pioneer of critical IR waned in the latter half of his career, and his broader argument has been under appreciated.
charliethame.bsky.social
accompanied Linklater’s insistence that an adequate International theory must be realist, rationalist, and emancipatory.
charliethame.bsky.social
This was premised on what he called the necessarily tripartite structure of critical theory. This is the claim, inspired by Kant, Hegel, and Marx, that any theory remains incomplete unless it incorporates normative, sociological, and praxeological analysis,
charliethame.bsky.social
Andrew’s project was a major contribution to the “soft” revolutionist tradition and an extension of the solidaristic approach to the English School. He wanted to incorporate and transcend the insights of realism, rationalism, and Marxism based on a commitment to human liberation.
charliethame.bsky.social
Martin Wight once argued that there are three traditions of international theory: realism, rationalism, and revolutionism, conceding that the gulf between “soft” revolutionists like Kant and “hard” revolutionists like Marx meant that a quadruple classification might be more apt (1991: 267-8).
charliethame.bsky.social
The Tripartite Structure of Critical International Theory
doi.org/10.1017/S175...

For those interested in critical theory / IR, my latest, OA in @internatltheory.bsky.social

Part homage to Andrew Linklater (@interpolaber.bsky.social), part statement of my approach to IR, developed through his
charliethame.bsky.social
"The war is about elites in Bangkok and Phnom Penh weaponizing myth to distract from corruption, inequality, and repression.

The people who pay the price are the rural poor, not the generals, oligarchs, or bureaucrats who send them to die."

jacobin.com/2025/08/thai...
The Thailand-Cambodia War Was About Shoring Up Elite Power
Thailand and Cambodia shocked observers by going to war last month. The destructive border conflict doesn’t stem from an upsurge of popular nationalism: the political elites in both countries needed a...
jacobin.com
Reposted by Charlie Thame
chadbourn.bsky.social
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
charliethame.bsky.social
"Cambodia has known war for decades. We, the sons and daughters of those who survived it, were raised on their stories of bombings, massacres, starvation, and silence. Must we now pass those horrors down to another generation?”
charliethame.bsky.social
Khmer voices for peace: "Every dollar spent on weapons is a dollar stolen from the people ... Whether it’s a mother shielding her children in a Thai convenience store or an old man praying in a Cambodian pagoda, every innocent life lost is a tragedy ... we must agree on this."
Innocents Die, Nationalism Wins—At What Cost?
In the fog of war along the Cambodia–Thailand border, one truth cuts through the propaganda: more civilians are dying than soldiers. Despite claims fro...
cambodianess.com
Reposted by Charlie Thame
xunlingau.bsky.social
Sign says:

“Stop harming Cambodian workers. They don't know anything about this. If you want to show off how cool you are, go live at the border instead. Don't pick on people who can't fight back. That's not cool at all, you bastxrds.'"

Good stuff & brave of the driver to speak up like that.
charliethame.bsky.social
"In Bangkok there is a rogue military holding a civilian government hostage, in Phnom Penh a state gutted by the fever dreams of the Chicago School, both perpetrating a completely unjust and unnecessary conflict. The only losers in this war ... will be the poor of Thailand and Cambodia."
yungkay.bsky.social
WAR.. EXPLAINER... that I wrote

Phue Thai, Khmer Rogue, Vietnamese attempts at post-genocide reconstruction, CIA fuckery, Eastern Tigers, Thai-hoteps, Bhumjaithai, Hun Sen, UN shock therapy, The Shinawatras.

Whole fucking mess.

dindeng.com/thai-cambo-w...
Thai - Cambodia War - DinDeng - ดินแดง
In Bangkok there is a rogue military holding a civilian government hostage, in Phnom Penh a state gutted by the fever dreams of the Chicago School, both perpetrating a completely unjust and unnecessar...
dindeng.com
charliethame.bsky.social
Thai voices for peace: statement from Assembly of the Poor.

“We resist the ultra patriotism and militarism that makes states turn their back on people, while manipulating fear, hatred and loss as their political instruments.”
charliethame.bsky.social
Exciting news: a new special collection at TU library.

150+ books on Thai & SEA history, political economy, & IR, donated by prof. Kullada Kesboonchoo-Mead. Mostly Thai language but some English too.

Full list here: bit.ly/3ZSEjqk
charliethame.bsky.social
Postdoc in IR/PolSci in Bangkok next year.
6-12 months including a modest stipend & visa support.

Link is a bit clumsy (seems admin must approve access) but further details here:
lnkd.in/eW_sVc5b
Reposted by Charlie Thame
insightmyanmar.bsky.social
“The revolution doesn’t end with the military being defeated…”
In our latest episode, political analyst Charlie Thame unpacks Myanmar’s Spring Revolution—not just as a fight for democracy, but as a redemptive uprising to fulfill decades of broken promises.

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...
Episode #348: Spring Awakening — Insight Myanmar
A fierce push for sovereignty against military rule and global indifference
insightmyanmar.org