Thailand: Shifting Ground Between the US and a Rising China.

• Author: Busbarat, Pongphisoot
• Position: Book review

Thailand: Shifting Ground between the US and a Rising China. By Benjamin Zawacki. London: ZED Books, 2017. Paperback: 370pp.

In Thailand: Shifting Ground between the US and a Rising China, Benjamin Zawacki makes an important contribution to the field of Thailand's foreign relations. The author advances an argument which runs counter to the conventional wisdom: that the main feature of Thai diplomacy is to maintain a balancing position vis-a-vis the Great Powers in order to avoid having to choose sides. Instead, Zawacki contends that since the end of the Second World War, Thailand has chosen sides: the United States during the Cold War and, since the turn of the new century, China.

Zawacki argues that despite the close ties Washington cultivated with Bangkok during the Cold War, the United States is largely to blame for Thailand's shift towards China. He shows that America failed to capture the domestic dynamics, especially the new generation of Thai elites that took place after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Thereafter, America's benign neglect of Thailand created a power vacuum that China was able to fill by increasing economic engagement, political and diplomatic engagement with Thailand at every level. Positive perceptions of China were enhanced by the re-emergence of Chinese identity among the influential Sino-Thai population.

The book is divided into two parts and comprises ten chapters. The first part traces the historical development of the triangular relationship between Bangkok, Beijing and Washington from the early post-war period until the election of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001. The second part examines the Sino-Thai-US triangle from Thaksin until the military coup in 2014.

In Part One, Zawacki demonstrates that Thailand was a loyal follower of the United States during the Cold War. He lays out the formation of the bilateral relationship which was instrumental in shaping Thailand's political characteristics for the next fifty years; Washington was pragmatic and supportive of Thai elites (mainly the military) who in turn helped sustain pro-American sentiment. American support also enabled the Thai military to exercise political control throughout the Cold War period. Thai--US relations deepened as the conflict in Indochina intensified, while Thai--China ties deteriorated until the mid-1970s.

The author goes on to discuss changes in Thailand's relations with the United States from the mid-1970s until the end of...