New Aspirations and Old Constraints in Thailand's Foreign Policy

Buszynski, Leszek

doi:10.2307/2644729

Cited by 6 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The spectre of communism was thus 'less menacing' but 'more alien' to the Thais. 16 From the outset, it was an un-Thai ideology. However, after the collapse of the Kuomintang-Chinese Communist Party alliance in 1927 and a shift in the Comintern's strategy toward the so-called 'Third Period' of ultra-leftism in 1928, an increase in communist activities in Thailand precipitated the severe crackdown by the Thai Government in 1929.…”

Section: Anticommunism As a Tactic (Before 1958)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the same time, this event triggered a new turn to communism in Thailand and the Communist Party of Siam was established in 1930. 17 After the 1932 Revolution -which ended Thai absolutismanticommunism and, particularly, anti-Chinese policies continued under successive People's Party governments. During this period, communism was mainly used as a political tool to delegitimise political opponents in Thai politics.…”

Section: Anticommunism As a Tactic (Before 1958)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bamboo diplomacy is not a natural or neutral tradition, but rather an invented tradition. 16 13 Sarasin, Directions in Thai Foreign Policy, 52. 14 Even the latest works interrogate the bamboo diplomacy narrative without taking the birth of bamboo diplomacy into serious consideration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second group of scholars include those who studied Thai foreign policy toward the Soviet Union and China in the 1970s. Although the literature on Thailand in the early Cold War is extensive, and widely researched, 17 the era of Thai détente is only sporadically and rarely addressed. The exception is Sarasin Viraphol, who mentioned the term 'détente' in passing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Genealogy of Bamboo Diplomacy: The Politics of Thai Détente with Russia and China

Poonkham¹

2022

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This book is about the birth of bamboo diplomacy and the politics of Thai détente with Russia and China in the long 1970s. By 1968, Thailand was encountering discursive anxiety amid the disastrous catastrophe of the Vietnam War and the prospect of American retrenchment from the Indo-Pacific region. To cope with such anxiety, it was vital to the Thai state to develop a new narrative in order to make sense of rapidly changing world politics. The discourse of détente was an answer. It transformed Thai foreign policy away from the hegemonic discourse of anticommunism, and by doing so it created a political struggle between the old and new discourses. The book therefore also argues that bamboo diplomacypreviously seen as a classic tradition of Thai-style diplomacy -had its origins in Thai détente. It gradually emerged in the early 1970s and has become the metanarrative of Thai diplomacy since then. That said, the discourse of Thai détente and the birth of bamboo diplomacy are two sides of the same coin.

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Section: Anticommunism As a Tactic (Before 1958)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anticommunism As a Tactic (Before 1958)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Genealogy of Bamboo Diplomacy: The Politics of Thai Détente with Russia and China

Poonkham¹

2022

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“…Just before the end of the Cold War, Chatichai Choonhavan, then Thai Prime Minister, stated before the Foreign Correspondents' Club in December 1988 that Indochina must be transformed from a war-zone to a peace-zone linked with Southeast Asia through trade ties, investment, and modern communications (Buszynski [1989(Buszynski [ :1059). "Change the battle field to a commercial field" had become a Thai vision for regional cooperation in mainland Indochina.…”

Section: The New International and Regional Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Myanmar and Japan: How Close Friends Become Estranged?

Kudo¹

2010

New Dynamics Between China and Japan in Asia

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Independent Myanmar and Japan had long held the strongest ties among Asian countries, and they were often known as having "special relations" or a "historically friendly relationship." Such relations were guaranteed by the sentiments and experiences of the leaders of both countries. Among others, Ne Win, former strongman throughout the socialist period (1962-1988), was educated and trained by the Japanese army officers of the Minami Kikan, leading to the birth of the Burma Independence Army (BIA). Huge official development assistance provided by the Japanese government also cemented this special relationship. However, the birth of the present military government (SLORC/SPDC) in 1988 drastically changed this favorable relationship between the two countries. When the military seized power in a coup, Japan was believed to be the only country that possessed sufficient meaningful influence on Myanmar to encourage a move toward national reconciliation between the junta and the opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi. In reality, Japan failed to exert such an influence due to its sour relations with the military government and reduced influence in the new international and regional political landscape. What is worse, Japan seems to be losing its say on Myanmar issues in the international political arena, as it has been wavering in limbo between the sanctionist forces, such as the United States and the European Union, and engagement forces, such as China and ASEAN.

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Thailand´s Resource Diplomacy in Indochina and Myanmar

Valencia¹

1992

Contemporary Southeast Asia

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New Aspirations and Old Constraints in Thailand's Foreign Policy

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 publications

A Genealogy of Bamboo Diplomacy: The Politics of Thai Détente with Russia and China

A Genealogy of Bamboo Diplomacy: The Politics of Thai Détente with Russia and China

Myanmar and Japan: How Close Friends Become Estranged?

Thailand´s Resource Diplomacy in Indochina and Myanmar

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