A Study on the Interaction Between Geopolitics and the Identity of the Kuomintang Army in Northern Thailand During the Cold War (1949-1975)

Abstract

This chapter attempts to explain the dynamic process of the interaction between Cold War geopolitics and transnational political identity and takes the Kuomintang army in northern Thailand as a typical case for analysis. During the Cold War, competitive political forces jointly promoted the formation of different identities of the Kuomintang army in northern Thailand. All political forces, whether out of strategic considerations or security considerations, have caused the “alienation” of northern Thailand. The connotation of Cold War “alienation” is the formation of a “multi-hierarchical system” in northern Thailand, which further led to the “diversification” of the political identity of the Kuomintang troops living here. The linkage between region and identity has led to different interactions among units at all levels in the international system.