The Bangkok Podcast8 Mar 2022

The Middle Path: Is Thailand an In-Between Country? [S5.E51]

Greg and Ed consider the tricky question of Thailand's role in the global order. Sparked by a question from one of his students about what Thailand's response to the war in Ukraine should be, Ed realized that he's never really thought about the world from the perspective of the Thai government or even a Thai person. The guys do their best as non-Thais but long term expats to imagine what the world looks like to most Thais.

Ed discusses King Rama V's clever diplomatic maneuverings between the French and the British in the 19th Century that kept Thailand from ever being colonized. Greg brings up the classic example of Prime Minister Phibul during WW2, who sided with Japan when it was winning the war, but also conducting negotiations with the West as the tide turned. As a developing country, it DOES seem that Thailand has spent a big part of its history stuck in between larger powers.

The boys try to relate this to the current crisis in Ukraine, recognizing that as a country that depends on tourism, Thailand rightfully may not want to alienate Russian citizens. Even some prominent members of the democracy movement have cautioned Thais about taking sides in the conflict. However, others have urged that if Thailand wants to become a real democracy in the future, it must support emerging democracies abroad, such as Ukraine. As two Westerners at heart, the guys couldn't agree more! :)

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