Making neglected political networks more visible serves a second purpose that speaks
more specifically to the literature on Thai studies. In the context of a political field in
which two core institutions – the “network monarchy” and the political networks of
Thaksin – remain central, it provides us with an opportunity to understand how important
subordinate actors negotiate the terrain between them, and leverage their intermediate
position to accrue power and advance their own agendas. This discussion is grounded in
an examination of a leading network of one of Thailand’s most well-known figures, Dr
Prawase Wasi.