Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an Associate Professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan, where he teaches Southeast Asian Politics and International Relations. Earning his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, he is an expert on Thai and Southeast Asia politics and is the author of two books: A Plastic Nation: The Curse of Thainess in Thai-Burmese Relations and Reinventing Thailand: Thaksin and His Foreign Policy.