Roots of Resilience: Interests and Values in Thai Foreign Policy

Author:

Chachavalpongpun Pavin1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Abstract

This article reinterprets the Thai discourse of bamboo diplomacy. In a normative study of Thai foreign policy, bamboo diplomacy has been readily taken as a self-explanatory approach behind the resilience of Thailand's position through bending with the prevailing wind of international politics for its survival. However, the oversimplification of this view of bamboo diplomacy belittles the reality in which the making of Thai foreign policy demands careful calculations and even sacrifices from the political elites. Proposing a reinterpretation of Thai diplomacy, the article argues that Thai bamboo diplomacy has been shaped by the interplay between interests and values as a basis of the shift of Thai positions and alliances throughout the country's history. A main research question is: Under which condition is a values-based Thai foreign policy formulated and implemented? While the interests-driven approach has remained central to Thai foreign policy, Thailand has demonstrated some resilience in its shift towards a values-based foreign policy if dictated by domestic and international factors. Under this circumstance, values are vital as a legitimisation mechanism for the shift of foreign policy and alliances for the ultimate attainment of national interests.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Reference76 articles.

1. Audjarint W (2017) PM strikes deals on U.S. trip. The Nation, 4 October. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30328384 (accessed 13 December 2023).

2. A History of Thailand

3. Bangkok Post (2019) Record 38.27 m tourists in 2018; 41 m expected in 2019, 28 January. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1619182/record-38-27m-tourists-in-2018-41m-expected-in-2019 (accessed 15 December 2023).

4. BBC News (2020) Wutthi samachik saharat riakrong rathaban Thai ploitua-yood damnernkhadi nak kijakam kanmuang [US senators demanded Thai government to release-cease prosecution of political activists], 4 December. Https://www.bbc.com/thai/thailand-55186870.

5. Bower EZ (2012) China reveals its hand on ASEAN in Phnom Penh. Centre for Strategic and International Studies, 20 July. https://www.csis.org/analysis/china-reveals-its-hand-asean-phnom-penh (accessed 15 December 2023).

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3