MARC SAXER| THAILAND CAUGHT IN THE VERTIGO OF CHANGE n Political Approach to Transformation In the end, any stable socio-political order only mirrors the balance of power between the various poles of so­ciety. Not only is the division of labour between these poles always the result of power struggles, but also the legal framework. Accordingly, the renegotiation of the social contract is being forged on the anvil of power. In order to increase their collective bargaining power, fragmented and organizationally weak pro­gressive actors need to pool their forces. Progressive coalitions should build leverage to break up the status quo, and mobilise majorities for an open, inclusive, and just order. 6. Outlook In sum, organising a deliberative process on such sensi­tive issues such as the adaptation of the political, social, and cultural orders will certainly be a challenge. The po­larised atmosphere of the political conflict and the many distortions of the transformation crisis make it even har­der. However, there is no reason for fatalism. The vitali­ty of social movements and alternative media, the cou­rage of civil society, and the expertise of academia show clearly that the country has already changed much more profoundly than many elites like to acknowledge. In a sense, the current distortions are only the backside of the impressive socio-economic developments that have emerged over the past decades. Now the time has come for the Kingdom of Thailand to make an equally large leap forward politically. 14