Showing 301-310 of 311 results
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Neighbourly diplomacy shifts from Laos
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/09/2017
» The twists and turns of Thailand's diplomacy toward its neighbouring countries have recently undergone a metamorphosis. The military's seizure of power from the elected government in May 2014 allowed civilian decision-makers and security officers to reboot ties with the bordering countries. But not all such attempts have been successful.
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Sino-Singapore bonhomie bodes well
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/09/2017
» Make no mistake, Singapore will always be a powerful catalyst of Asean-China relations. Despite the hullabaloo resulting from diplomatic spats between Singapore and China last year, the two have now reset their relations, recognising the new reality of the emerging strategic landscape in the region and elsewhere.
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The 184-year-old paradox of elephant-eagle relations
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 02/10/2017
» The elephant and eagle as symbols of Thailand and the United States were not the creation of today's news spin-meisters. In 1833, US president Andrew Jackson gave a gift to King Rama III that symbolised one of the most important relations the US had with the outside world -- its first foreign mission in Asia. Jackson gave the king a sword with an eagle representing America and an elephant representing Siam carved into the handle.
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Thailand and Vietnam: Stronger together
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 15/08/2017
» In Asean, Vietnam is Thailand's only strategic partner. Three points in particular underpin the countries' unique ties.
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Comfort level versus political correctness
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 22/08/2017
» The past few months showed Thailand's pragmatism. Its diplomacy is based on a comfort level rather than on perceived political correctness. With its location and added strategic assets, major countries have now begun to court Thailand at their own pace. Although the country's diplomatic pathway was put under severe stress in the first 15 months after the May 2014 coup, Thailand's regional and international profile has incrementally been gaining traction and leading to new cooperation with those countries that have forged the highest level of comfort.
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China's push to make new friends
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/08/2017
» As the world's No.2 economic power with growing political clout, China is working hard to find regional strategic partners who it can "trust". The desired partners can be any countries in Asean that have minds of their own but understand the game of power politics. Most importantly, their foreign policy must not in any way, real or imagined, undermine China's position in the region.
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Rakhine crisis: Lessons from Thailand
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 05/09/2017
» When Myanmar's commander-in-chief Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing was here last week for a series of top-level meetings with his Thai counterparts, the recent crisis in Rakhine state -- clashes between Myanmar authorities and Rohingya militants -- dominated the discussions both in Khon Kaen and Bangkok.
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Tillerson's 5-hour trip to reset Thai-US ties
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/08/2017
» When US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson returns to Bangkok Tuesday for a five-hour visit, he will find a bruised but confident ally ready to reset the 185-year-old Thai-US relations. This 300-minute interlude should prove extremely significant in determining the future of Thai-US relations. Lest we forget, his trip precedes a scheduled two-day visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov starting tomorrow.
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Recalling Thanat as a diplomatic doyen
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/07/2017
» 'We [Thais] cannot forsake our responsibility and leave it to others to shape our destiny for us. So we are not hawkish, we are not anti-communist, we are just plain and simple people who want to live and to survive as free people and a free nation." This unmistakable articulation of Thai diplomacy made by Thanat Khoman in 1968 is still very much alive and kicking today.
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Trump strengthens Asean-EU ties
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/07/2017
» Rapid US withdrawals from its own free-trade initiative, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Paris Accord on climate change have all but shattered Washington's credibility both at the regional and global levels. Sensing the deep diplomatic black hole, and with prevailing anxiety high regarding the future direction of US leadership, the European Union (EU) has moved quickly to fill the gap, especially in Southeast Asia where it has been eager to boost ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
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