Thailand's Foreign Policy: Management of a Regional Vision

Abstract

Thailand's foreign policy has been transformed since the days of the Cambodian conflict when the Vietnamese threat was the major preoccupation and the national security imperative dominated decision-making, creating rigidities and distorting relations with the region. The emphasis upon national security as the overriding priority in foreign policy was facilitated by the role of the military in Thai politics, which pursued its own corporate interests and identified them with those of the Thai state. Since the termination of the Cambodian conflict, however, Thai foreign policy has moved in new directions, a process assisted by the decline of the military's domestic role. It has become economics-driven, reflecting internal economic expansion in the absence of external threat. Foreign policy toward the region has been directed by a wider vision that places Thailand in the role of economic transformer for mainland Southeast Asia, a vision which was expressed by Chatichai Chunhawan during his administration (1988-91) but which has roots in contemporary Thai history. It has been similarly raised by subsequent Thai leaders as a measure of Thailand's status as an economic power and its sense of economic achievement. There is the view in official circles that the country is no longer just an ordinary Southeast Asian country but one whose economic transformation has elevated its status into that of a regional power. This article examines the development of Thailand's regional vision as a basis for foreign policy and assesses the consequences for Thailand's relations with the external environment.