Room for Debate: Should Democracies Have Monarchs?

How Thailand Remains in Turmoil

Duncan McCargo, author, "Tearing Apart the Land"

Royal interventions in Thai politics are overrated. In reality, monarchical mystique may impede robust representative politics and fuel instability.

Spain's King, Eager to Lose Power

Omar G. Encarnación, author, "Democracy Without Justice in Spain"

After the Franco dictatorship, the restored monarchy became a pillar of democratization and a unifying force in a divided nation.

In Britain, the Crown Has Less Political Baggage

Vernon Bogdanor, author, "The Monarchy and the Constitution"

In the U.S., an elected leader struggles to represent the nation as a whole while satisfying partisan supporters. But the queen has only one constituency.

Bhutan Needs Monarchy, and Democracy

Karma Ura, Center for Bhutan Studies

Bhutanese people do not want to lose the stability of the monarchy, but they accepted the king's decision to shift toward democracy.

God Save the Queen, and the Queen Save Canada

J. Andrew Ross, historian, University of Guelph

In the model that Canada (and Thailand) borrowed from the British, the monarch remains key.