Pongsudhirak, Thitinan is director of the Institute of Security and International Studies and associate professor of international political economy at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Spring 2011 and a visiting scholar at Stanford University in Spring 2010. A frequently quoted commentator and columnist on Thai politics and Asean affairs and their impact on Asian regionalism and investment climate, Thitinan has published a wide range of articles and chapters in journals and books about Thailand, Asean, and East Asia, and is the author and co-author of several books on Thai politics and trade policy, including “Thailand” in Ann Capling and Patrick Low (eds), Governments, Non-State Actors and Trade Policy-Making (Cambridge, UK, 2010), “Thailand Since the Coup” (Journal of Democracy October 2008) and “Thaksin: Competitive Authoritarian and Flawed Dissident” in John Kane, Haig Patapan and Benjamin Wong (eds), (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008). His previous experiences include serving as a producer for the BBC World Service, Thailand Country Analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and a money markets consultant for Independent Economic Analysis (IDEA). His PhD from LSE was the UK's Best Dissertation in International Politics, and he holds an M.A. in International Economics from Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies, with a B.A. from the University of California.