Thailand: A U.S. Struggle to Maintain Influence

Abstract

Thailand has long been an ally of the United States, and one of only two countries in the ASEAN with which the U.S. has formal relations. Since the 2014 Military Coup in Thailand that deposed the elected prime minister, the U.S. has reduced its cooperation and allowed the alliance to grow stagnant. Conversely, the Peoples Republic of China has grown its relationship with Thailand in the past few decades in the areas of trade, military cooperation/sales, social programs, and various business endeavors. This sudden strengthening of ties between China and Thailand, coupled with the strained relationship between the U.S. and Thailand, has allowed U.S. influence to be contested and potentially outweighed by China in the future. If the U.S. remains stagnant in its relationship with Thailand, China will eventually hold the preponderance of influence there.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 13, 2018
Accession Number
AD1177131

Entities

People

  • Bradley A Motz

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Alliances
  • Asia
  • Case Studies
  • Center Of Gravity
  • Civil Rights
  • Cold War
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Powered Submarines
  • Regional Security
  • Schools
  • Security
  • Southeast Asia
  • Students
  • Submarines
  • Thailand
  • Treaties
  • Universities

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Strategic Security Studies