1st Edition

The US-Thai Alliance and Asian International Relations History, Memory and Current Developments

By Gregory Raymond, John Blaxland Copyright 2021
    248 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    248 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Thailand, a long-standing defence partner of the United States and ASEAN’s second largest economy, occupies a geostrategically important position as a land bridge between China and maritime Southeast Asia. This book, based on extensive original research, explores the current state of US-Thai relations, paying particular attention to how the United States is perceived by a wide range of people in the Thai defence establishment and highlighting the importance of historical memory. The book outlines how the US-Thai relationship has been complicated and at times turbulent, discusses how Thailand is deeply embedded in multi-faceted relationships with many Asian states, not just China, and examines how far the United States is blind to the complexities of Asian international relations by focusing too much on China. The book concludes by assessing how US-Thai relations are likely to develop going forward. Additionally, the work contributes to alliance theory by showing how domestic politics shapes memory, which in turn affects perceptions of other states.

    Introduction

    Chapter 2. Thailand and the Great Powers

    Chapter 3. Historical Memory and the US-Thai Alliance

    Chapter 4. Rediscovering China

    Chapter 5. Thailand at the Centre I

    Chapter 6. Thailand at the Centre II

    Conclusion

    Biography

    Gregory Raymond is a Lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, Canberra

    John Blaxland is Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies, Director of the ANU Southeast Asia Institute and Head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, Canberra