Bending with the Wind
| Author | Arne Kislenko |
| Date | 01 December 2002 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200205700403 |
| Published date | 01 December 2002 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
ARNE
KISLENKO
Bending
with
the
wind
The
continuity
and
flexibility
of
Thai
foreign
policy
AN
ANCIENT
SIAMESE
PROVERB
likens
foreign
policy to
the
'bamboo
in
the
wind';
always
solidly
rooted,
but
flexible
enough
to
bend
whichever
way
the
wind
blows
in
order
to
survive.'
More
than
mere
pragmatism,
this
adage
reflects
a
long-cherished,
philosophical
approach
to
international
relations,
the
precepts
of
which
are
very
much enshrined
in
Thai
culture
and
religion.
Throughout
its
long
and
frequently
violent
history,
Thailand
-
or
Siam,
as
it
was
known
until
1939
-
has
consistently
crafted
a
cautious,
calculated
foreign policy
and
jealously
guarded
its
independence.
Indeed,
it
has
occasionally
gone
to
extraordinary
lengths
to
preserve
it.
Despite
its
controversial alliance
with
Japan
during
World
War
II,
and
its
support
of
the United
States
in
the
Vietnam
War,
Thailand
has
carefully
avoided
anything
more
than
temporary
arrangements
with
foreign
powers. At
a
regional
level,
the
Thais
have
exercised
a
foreign
policy
blend
of
prudence,
pragmatism,
and
cynical
opportunism.
Surrounded
by
historical
enemies,
and
cen-
tral
in an
area
of
the
world long plagued
by
revolution
and
war,
Thailand
has
nonetheless
emerged
in
the
21st
century
as
a
consider-
able
regional
power.
Notwithstanding
its
current
economic
plight
and
the
on-going
demands
of
political
reform,
Thailand
remains
a
pivotal
player
in
Southeast
Asia.
Assinstant
Professor
of
History
Ryerson
Universitji
and
instructor
in
the
International
Relations
Programme,
University
of
Toronto.
The
author
would
like
to
thank
Margaret MacMillan,
Robert Accinelli,
and
Al
WargoJ
2r
their
input
and
observations
on
various
versions
of
this
arti-
cle.
i
William
J.
Klausner,
Reflections on
Thai
Culture
(Bangkok:
Siam
Society
2981),
79-
80.
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Autumn
2002
Arne
Kislenko
Geography
has
always
played
a
primary
role
in
Thai
foreign
rela-
tions.
Thailand
lies
in
the
heart
of
mainland
Southeast
Asia,
extending
like
an
elephant's
trunk
south
between
the Andaman
Sea
and
the Gulf
of
Thailand
into
peninsular
Malaysia.
Myanmar,
or
Burma,
shares
Thailand's
western
and
part
of
its
northeastern
boundaries,
while
Laos
shares
its
longest border
to
the
north
and
east.
To
the
southeast
is
Cambodia.
The
population
of
Thailand
in
2000
was
approximately
62
million,
making
it
the
fourth
most
populous
nation
(behind
Indonesia,
Vietnam, and
Philippines)
in
Southeast
Asia
and
second
on
the
mainland.
Its
economy
is
one
of
the most
diverse
in
the
region.
It
is
the
world's
largest
exporter
of
rice
and
natural rubber,
and other
agri-
cultural
products
make
up
a
large
share
of
its
economy.
Fishing
has
always
been
a
staple,
as
was
forestry
until
the
late
1980s.
Over the
past
twenty
years
tourism
has
become
a
major
facet
of
theThai
economy.
In
recent
years
Thailand
has
also
developed
its
industrial
and
manufac-
turing
sector,
particularly
with
respect
to
automotives,
petrochemicals,
electronics,
mining,
and
oil.
2
Its
tremendous
economic
growth
during
the
1980s
and
early
1990s
made
Thailand
one
of
the
'little dragons'
of
Asia.
However,
during
that
period
its
insatiable
appetite
for
natural
resources
put
considerable
strain
on Thailand's
already
tense
relations
with
its
neighbours.
The Thai
economy
has
adapted
considerably
since
the
1997
crash,
which,
in
turn,
has
necessitated
a
practical
assessment
of
its
foreign policy
objectives.
True
to
the
bamboo
analogy,
Thailand's
foreign
relations
have
always
demonstrated
great
flexibility
and
pragmatism.
Several early
kingdoms
were
extremely
proficient in
using
diplomacy
to
help
unite
the
Thai
people
and
overcome
their
larger
Khmer
and
Pagan
neigh-
bours.3
With
the
arrival
of
European
powers
in
Southeast
Asia
the
need
for
a
shrewd foreign
policy
was
even
greater.
The
Ayutthaya
Empire,
the
predominant
Thai
kingdom
from
roughly
the
middle
of
the
14th
century
until
its
collapse
in
1767,
pursued
intricate
policies
on
trade,
political,
and
military
relations
with
a
number
of
foreign powers.
Its
successor,
the
Thonburi
or
Bangkok empire,
significantly
expanded
its
power
in
the
region
by
maintaining
the
emphasis on
diplomacy.
In
2
National
Identity
Board,
Office
of
the
Prime
Minister,
Thailand
into
the
2000's
(Bangkok:
National
Identity
Board,
Kingdom
of
Thailand,
2000),
168-95.
3
David
K.
Wyatt,
Thailand:
A
Short History
(New
Haven
CT:
Yale
University
Press
1982),
chs
2-4
passim.
See
also,
Rong
Syamananda,
A
History
of
Thailand
(5th
ed;
Bangkok:
Chulalongkorn
University/Thai
Watana
Panich
1986),
chs
5-7passim.
538
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2002
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