ปรัMACHIAVELLI’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND THAI POLITICS

Abstract

This article analyzed the relationship between political power and economic interest groups in Thai politics, employing Niccolò Machiavelli's political philosophy from "The Prince" as an analytical framework. The key concepts drawn upon included the self-interested nature of human beings, the separation of politics from morality, the maintenance of power through cultivating relationships with those who possess resources and influence, as well as the notions of civic virtue (virtù) and the balancing of power within a republic. The study was found that since Thailand's transition from military authoritarianism to democracy, capital groups have increasingly shaped policy directions through patronage networks and political party financing, reflecting the persistence of Machiavellian power-maintenance logic within Thai political structures. A comparison of Machiavelli's principles with the Thai context revealed that when the interests of capital groups displace public participation, the legitimacy of rulers is inevitably undermined consistent with Machiavelli's warning that power without the trust of the people is inherently unstable. The article proposed several remedial approaches, including institutional checks and balances independent of both military and capital influence, financial autonomy for political parties, the establishment of substantive legitimacy through verifiable transparency, the strengthening of civic consciousness, and the creation of genuine channels for public participation in political decision-making. The analysis also identified limitations of the Machiavellian framework in the context of modern democratic states, where popular legitimacy carries no less weight than the control of power resources