Showing 1 - 10 of 91
The fuss about Thailand and Trump's Board of Peace
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/02/2026
» Thai media were perplexed by the appearance of the Thai flag in the background at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace (BOP) in Washington, DC last Thursday. After all, Thailand is not a BOP member. In a swift response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country was attending as an observer.
Anutin 2 govt's foreign policy outlook
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/02/2026
» To say that diplomacy under the upcoming Anutin 2 government will differ significantly from its first, short-lived period in power would be an exaggeration. However, one thing is clear: following the electoral landslide, the new cabinet will be rock solid. A government with such stability will exert a strong influence on Thai foreign policy.
Border conflict tests big powers' resolve
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 23/12/2025
» Few would have imagined that the current Thailand-Cambodia conflict could generate such deep strategic anxiety, if not outright uncertainty, across Southeast Asia and beyond. From a Thai perspective, the tensions have revealed something far more consequential than just another bilateral border dispute. It is no longer a tit-for-tat affair.
Timor-Leste finally joins the Asean fold
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 14/10/2025
» Timor-Leste will be made a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Oct 26. President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste often joked that joining Asean was more difficult than going to heaven. Not anymore.
Cambodia's bluster fails at UN event
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/09/2025
» At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Thailand and Cambodia verbally clashed again over their border dispute. What stood out was not just the usual complaints, but the gap between quiet promises made behind closed doors and loud posturing in public.
Challenging Asean digital sovereignty
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 16/09/2025
» Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are busy finalising a draft of a Digital Economic Framework Agreement (Defa) -- this digital framework is hoped to boost regional bloc intra-trade, attract foreign investment, and transform the grouping into a global digital hub. As the current chair, Malaysia is eager to see the world's first such agreement concluded under its leadership.
Upcoming Myanmar vote tests Asean
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/08/2025
» Myanmar is heading to the polls from Dec 28 through mid-January 2026. The big question is whether the world community will accept the outcome of the national election.
Time for this unnecessary war to end
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/07/2025
» It was a war everyone saw coming. After weeks of provocations and inflammatory rhetoric across the Thai–Cambodian border since May 28, the failure to de-escalate tensions finally erupted into deadly border skirmishes. Despite diplomatic efforts, no fruitful progress was made. As diplomacy faltered, ultra-nationalism made inroads, and rhetoric gave way to border clashes beginning last Thursday.
Thai diplomacy is now in need of a reset
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/06/2025
» For the record, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has committed the most damaging diplomatic blunder in Thailand's modern history. The leaked 17.6-minute audio clip of a phone call between her and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was not just embarrassing -- it was devastating, not only for her but for the Thai people and the country.
Can Thailand engage with Trump's US?
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 03/06/2025
» Thailand must be bold and dynamic in recalibrating its diplomatic ties with the United States under President Donald Trump. Asia's oldest relationship with Washington carries little weight in the era of transactional diplomacy. Although the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the US and Siam described their relations "as long as heaven and earth can endure", the two countries now face formidable challenges in living up to that 192-year-old oath. That treaty was the United States' first treaty with a country in Asia, making Thailand America's oldest friend in the region.