4 - Bilateral Relations: Tailoring of a Thaksinized Diplomacy

Summary

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra divided his world of diplomacy into two zones. The first zone encompassed Thailand's immediate neighbours where primary national interests lay. The other zone included countries beyond the sub-region and great powers with whom Thailand has long woven close relations. This categorization signified Thaksin's degree of interest in his engagement and interaction with them, as well as their level of significance in the eyes of Thailand. In the proximate zone, Thaksin regarded the strengthening of relations with Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia as his foreign policy's number-one priority. This was because of the geographical closeness, the sensitivity of security along the border, the sizeable cross-border trade, and the close and regular contacts between peoples of both sides of the frontier. These fundamental factors impelled upon Thaksin a readjustment in foreign policy that was needed to build good and friendly ties. It was a challenging task for Thaksin. A bitter history and a sense of mistrust represented the main obstacles that were faced. Formulating an amicable policy toward immediate neighbours not only served Thailand's perceived national objectives, it also accommodated Thaksin's need to provide an environment of security and economic prosperity for the Thais who lived in the borderland. With the exception of Malaysia, Thaksin promoted good neighbourliness, especially with Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, and this benefited his voters in Thailand's north and northeast regions. Moreover, Thaksin, like Chatichai, ordered the shift of Thailand's diplomatic focus, from powers outside the region to former enemies in the neighbourhood. With a new spotlight on countries in the region, Thailand could reinvent itself as a leader with a new responsibility.

In this study, the outer zone comprises China and the United States. Thailand was at different times in the past a client state of both Beijing and Washington. Thaksin, in his determination to alter the traditional pattern of diplomatic relations with both powers, sought to become the first among equals in Chinese and American eyes. Marwaan Macan Markar wrote in 2003, “In the past, the military had a bigger voice in US policy,” says Chulalongkorn University's lecturer Panitan Wattanayagorn, “but not now, after the Thaksin government was elected.”