Parnpree to bring Thailand back on radar screen amid superpower rivalry

[webfact]

 

As it tries to find its way back on the radar screen of international diplomacy, Thailand needs to strike a fine balance in its relationship with the world’s two superpower rivals, according to Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said.

 

Parnpree said Thailand cannot afford to be seen as siding with one country or the other.

 

“We are friends with both countries,” the foreign minister said of the US and China which have engaged in geopolitical and trade rivalry over the years.

 

In an interview with Thai PBS over the weekend, Parnpree said Thailand’s close relations with US and China are based on different issues.

 

“But our stand is that we must not be seen as siding with one or the other,” said Parnpree.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2023-12-04

 

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[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

As it tries to find its way back on the radar screen of international diplomacy, Thailand needs to strike a fine balance in its relationship with the world’s two superpower rivals, according to Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said.

Thailand balances by sitting on the fence.

[newbee2022]

Only 2 super powers??

There is one permanent power missing: Russia.

[Pouatchee]

in ww2 they actually were going to declare war on the us and its allies, but the diplomat did not deliver that declaration. as history goes it will always seem like thailand was neutral when in fact it wasn't. i have a feeling of deja vu here. honestly i don't think they are neutral. one more thing. they mention '2 superpowers'. i guess they don't consider russia as being powerful, but heck... are they ever catering to them. seems to me thailand is playing on 3 fronts. dont military strategists always say never manage 2 wars at the same time?

[mokwit]

32 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand balances by sitting on the fence.

China won't let it and has the power to coerce this.

[Ben Zioner]

Impressive, here we got something like a thai De Gaulle, the cretin who thought that Israel shouldn't have defended itself.

[soalbundy]

44 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand balances by sitting on the fence.

Pragmatic, very sensible, why get involved with the skulduggery of either side.

[nobodysfriend]

Keeping Thailand's foreign policy in ' balance ' is the right thing to do for Thailand . Better not to take sides , but stay ' neutral ' , if possible .

Thailand has a lot of internal problems that should be solved before it's foreign policy gets out of balance and drags the country into a conflicting situation with another country .

You will not hear a word from the Thai government condemning the war in Israel or Ukraine .

Thailand still is a ' holiday destination ' and , as such , desires the best of all what foreign countries can contribute to Thailand's economy , their money , of course .

Not matter if it's yuan , rubles , dollars , euros etc ... money is what counts .

[stoner]

classic example of a thai smile. 

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

in ww2 they actually were going to declare war on the us and its allies, but the diplomat did not deliver that declaration. as history goes it will always seem like thailand was neutral when in fact it wasn't. i have a feeling of deja vu here. honestly i don't think they are neutral. one more thing. they mention '2 superpowers'. i guess they don't consider russia as being powerful, but heck... are they ever catering to them. seems to me thailand is playing on 3 fronts. dont military strategists always say never manage 2 wars at the same time?

 

Many people do not realize Thailand was declared an enemy of the allies, and the US bombed Bangkok several times. Thailand was occupied by Japan for three long years, until the Thais finally kicked them out, when they were getting their butts kicked in Burma and throughout the Pacific.

[spidermike007]

We utterly refuse to take a moral stand. We would prefer to remain friendly with the toxic giant to the north, and not piss them off on any level.

[nausea]

This non-alignment policy always worked for Thailand in the past and, as they say - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[Wrwest]

2 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

in ww2 they actually were going to declare war on the us and its allies, but the diplomat did not deliver that declaration. as history goes it will always seem like thailand was neutral when in fact it wasn't. i have a feeling of deja vu here. honestly i don't think they are neutral. one more thing. they mention '2 superpowers'. i guess they don't consider russia as being powerful, but heck... are they ever catering to them. seems to me thailand is playing on 3 fronts. dont military strategists always say never manage 2 wars at the same time?

Not my reading of Thailand in WW II. Thailand did declare war, for example, on Britain. That is why the Brits wanted to treat Thailand as an enemy combatant after the war. The failure to deliver the declaration dealt with the USA. That is why the USA did not want Thailand treated as an enemy combatant after the war. other interests played into this. The "Free Thai" forces worked with the Allies during the war. Thailand played off western powers during the colonial era to maintain its independence. France in Indochina and England in Burma. And now? China versus the USA, trying to maintain balance will not be easy as we see the struggle coming out in authoritarian model versus a more democratic model.

[Pouatchee]

59 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Many people do not realize Thailand was declared an enemy of the allies, and the US bombed Bangkok several times. Thailand was occupied by Japan for three long years, until the Thais finally kicked them out, when they were getting their butts kicked in Burma and throughout the Pacific.

 

8 minutes ago, Wrwest said:

Not my reading of Thailand in WW II. Thailand did declare war, for example, on Britain. That is why the Brits wanted to treat Thailand as an enemy combatant after the war. The failure to deliver the declaration dealt with the USA. That is why the USA did not want Thailand treated as an enemy combatant after the war. other interests played into this. The "Free Thai" forces worked with the Allies during the war. Thailand played off western powers during the colonial era to maintain its independence. France in Indochina and England in Burma. And now? China versus the USA, trying to maintain balance will not be easy as we see the struggle coming out in authoritarian model versus a more democratic model.

 

 

an interesting lesson in history this morning. you guys just added a few facts to the limited knowledge of thai history i have despite having been here quite a stretch

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Wrwest said:

Not my reading of Thailand in WW II. Thailand did declare war, for example, on Britain. That is why the Brits wanted to treat Thailand as an enemy combatant after the war. The failure to deliver the declaration dealt with the USA. That is why the USA did not want Thailand treated as an enemy combatant after the war. other interests played into this. The "Free Thai" forces worked with the Allies during the war. Thailand played off western powers during the colonial era to maintain its independence. France in Indochina and England in Burma. And now? China versus the USA, trying to maintain balance will not be easy as we see the struggle coming out in authoritarian model versus a more democratic model.

Thailand was an enemy of the allies during World War II and they were treated fairly afterwards just like Germany was. The extremist within the Senate were the ones who forced the hand of the moderates and by late 44 when Japan was getting its butt kicked all over the Pacific and in Burma, the moderates in the Senate kicked Japan out of Thailand completely. 

[placnx]

10 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

in ww2 they actually were going to declare war on the us and its allies, but the diplomat did not deliver that declaration. as history goes it will always seem like thailand was neutral when in fact it wasn't. i have a feeling of deja vu here. honestly i don't think they are neutral. one more thing. they mention '2 superpowers'. i guess they don't consider russia as being powerful, but heck... are they ever catering to them. seems to me thailand is playing on 3 fronts. dont military strategists always say never manage 2 wars at the same time?

Thailand was occupied by Japan and occasionally was bombed. It was not an enthusiatic supporter of Japan.

[heybruce]

On 12/3/2023 at 7:10 PM, newbee2022 said:

Only 2 super powers??

There is one permanent power missing: Russia.

Russia is a superpower if the title is determined by nuclear weapons.  If "superpower" is determined by economic power or other measures, Russia isn't a contender.

[newbee2022]

18 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Russia is a superpower if the title is determined by nuclear weapons.  If "superpower" is determined by economic power or other measures, Russia isn't a contender.

Hahaha, you definitely believe in Santa🧑‍🎄🧑‍🎄🧑‍🎄

[heybruce]

21 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

Hahaha, you definitely believe in Santa🧑‍🎄🧑‍🎄🧑‍🎄

Russia doesn't make the top ten in GDP.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)

[newbee2022]

23 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Russia doesn't make the top ten in GDP.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)

Add economy to military and politics....then you got your Super Power Russia. 🧑‍🎄

[heybruce]

On 12/5/2023 at 5:50 PM, newbee2022 said:

Add economy to military and politics....then you got your Super Power Russia. 🧑‍🎄

No, then you have a mid-sized troublemaker like Iran.

[findlay13]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:26 AM, spidermike007 said:

We utterly refuse to take a moral stand. We would prefer to remain friendly with the toxic giant to the north, and not piss them off on any level.

The strategy is "Show me the money"