Since the 2006 military coup, Thailand has continued to sink deeply into political stalemate. The protracted conflict and the political polarisation in Thai society deserve a separate in-depth analysis. To provide context for the following discussion, the current crisis can be explained in
terms of conflict between two profoundly divided and opposing camps for ultimate political control the red-shirted supporters of Thaksin and those who back the country's "network monarchy, a term coined by Duncan McCargo referring to a loose alliance of the palace, the military, and the Democrat Party led by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.