2 - Bamboo in the Wind: A Traditional Thai Diplomacy

Summary

Thai diplomacy is an art that has been inherited through time in the hands of kings, warriors and generals. This art is extolled as a unique characteristic of the Thai nation, mostly to the point where subsequent generations have perceived it as insuperable and flawless. This unique character of Thai diplomacy has allowed Thai elites to dominate the domain of foreign relations, without any real participation from the public. For example, during World War II, Prime Minister Phibun Songkhram declared, “When the country is in a critical situation, we have nothing to rely upon. Thus, I ask you to follow the Prime Minister.” The Thai state has incorporated the achievement of Thai diplomacy as part of its mission to build the nation, based on certain distinctive qualities that separate Thailand from other countries. This explains why the notion of Thailand as the only country in Southeast Asia to have never been colonized, has been much celebrated both at the state and the people levels. It connotes the intelligence of the Thai leaders and the magical art of Thai diplomacy — something, as they claimed, which is absent from Thailand's neighbours. But just as the process of Thai nation-building can be artificial and used to serve a myriad of political objectives, the conduct of Thai diplomacy can sometime be considered as arbitrary, amoral and being exploited in the same manner in order to serve the leaders' own political needs.

This chapter, firstly, explores a brief history of Thai diplomacy, from the very beginning of the supposedly first Siamese kingdom of Sukhothai, through the rise and fall of subsequent kingdoms, World War II, the Cold War, to the immediate pre-Thaksin period. It is important to note that Thai history is in itself a subject of a fierce contestation. Past and present leaders have continued to arbitrarily rewrite history to suit their political purposes. Sukhothai became Thailand's first capital even when Thailand did not exist at the time. Yet, it helped reaffirm the longevity of Thailand as a nation with such a precise boundary.