Regionalism and bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation: the case of India and Thailand

Abstract

ABSTRACT After major terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, Bali, Indonesia in 2002, and Mumbai, India in 2008, India and Thailand responded in disparate ways. Thailand was slow to respond out of fear of alienating the large Muslim population in its restive south. India, after Mumbai, moved to create and strengthen domestic institutions that would hasten counter-terrorism measures, with limited success. In the years that followed these seminal events, both Bangkok and New Delhi have, like other South Asian and ASEAN states, moved toward bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism partnerships. This paper surveys the history of terrorism in both countries and their domestic responses, persistent domestic and regional challenges, and documents a growing India-Thailand bilateral counter-terrorism partnership – particularly in the sectors of maritime security, intelligence sharing, extradition, and joint security cooperation. This paper contributes to a growing body of literature on emerging South-South partnerships by evaluating India-Thailand counter-terrorism cooperation and explores avenues for future bilateral exchanges and multilateral opportunities within institutional bodies, such as ASEAN and BIMSTEC.