Roots of Resilience: Interests and Values in Thai Foreign Policy

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 f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 409 - 429
Main Author: Chachavalpongpun, Pavin
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2024
Sage Publications Ltd
SAGE Publishing
Subjects:
Alliances
Attainment
Außenpolitik
Außenpolitik einzelner Staaten
Außenpolitische Strategie
Bamboo
Bestimmungsfaktoren der Außenpolitik
Diplomacy
Foreign policy
H53
Historische Prozesse
International relations
JQ1-6651
JZ2-6530
Legitimacy
Political elites
Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only)
Resilience
Sacrifices
Social sciences and state - Asia (Asian studies only)
Values
Wertesystem
Thailand
US–China rivalry
Bamboo diplomacy
foreign policy
interests
Thailand
values
ISSN:1868-1034, 1868-4882, 1868-4882
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary: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.
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ISSN:1868-1034
1868-4882
1868-4882
DOI:10.1177/18681034241248475