
Thailand
Reports on Thailand See all →

Thailand searches for a new balance between monarchy and modernity

Thailand has a wealth of geographic, historical and economic advantages, and yet it lags in terms of political liberalization. It is more monarchy than democracy, an arrangement that worked to its advantage during the Cold War but is now holding it back. At issue is whether the country can find a new balance between the forces of tradition and modernity. If not, Thailand may become too weak to resist China’s expanding influence in the region.

Thailand slides toward a geopolitical realignment
Thailand, a country notorious for military coups but also a longtime security partner of the United States, has been slowly but inevitably aligning itself with China. The process is driven by political and economic considerations. Washington, obliged by the U.S. Congress to curb military assistance to Bangkok, has limited options ...


Beijing’s sway over Thailand grows
Since Thailand’s May 2014 coup, China’s influence in the country has increased at the expense of Bangkok’s long-standing alliance with the United States. China’s success is rooted in its nonideological foreign policy, as well as increasing economic and political leverage. Looking forward, economic, historical, cultural, geographic and political factors all ...
