The Effects of Great Power Competition on Thai Foreign Policy from 2001 to 2024

Main Article Content

Eric Everhart

Abstract

Growing competition between the United States and China is quickly becoming a defining feature of the 21st century international system, much like that of the United States and the Soviet Union defined the latter 20th century. Thailand’s deep historical, economic, and political ties to the great powers, and its central position with the Greater Mekong Subregion, make it ripe for an analysis of how great power competition is affecting its foreign policy. This work fills a gap in the existing literature on Thai foreign policy by taking an expansive backward look at nearly two decades of policy actions and reactions by the United States, China, and Thailand to identify patterns across multiple governments. The information gained through a deep reading of primary and secondary sources on Thai policy is then used to determine plausible future outcomes for Thai foreign policy in a continued environment of great power competition. This work establishes a clear and increasingly explicit commitment to strategic hedging by Thailand despite significant changes in domestic political alignments, the rise of a new great power in the immediate region, and an intensifying competition between vital and longstanding economic and security partners.

Article Details

How to Cite
Everhart, E. (2024). The Effects of Great Power Competition on Thai Foreign Policy from 2001 to 2024. Graduate Review of Political Science and Public Administration Journal, 3(2), 1–42. retrieved from https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/GRPSPAJ/article/view/5402
Section
Research article

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