There used to be a oneline joke among politicians that Thai foreign policy could be summed up in only 10 words  “Thailand will be friends to all and enemies to none.”
They said this timetested approach had saved the country for centuries from falling into the hands of colonisers. Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country to escape European colonisation in the 18th and 19th centuries by using diplomatic finesse through tradeoffs and the balance of power.
So it is not surprising that only a few political parties are keen on foreign policy. Most choose to focus on domestic issues concerning the economy, education and transport. Given the severity of the situation in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces, several parties have outlined their strategic thinking in resolving the conflict in the South. But so far, no party has discerned the international dimension of the situation as part of foreign policy.
As the country’s oldest political party, the Democrats were the only party with a policy of engaging with neighbours and countries near and far. Whenever the party governed the country, it sought to promote foreign trade and investment and followed international rules of conduct. In 1997, the Democratled government ensured Thailand was the first developing country to add respect for human rights and promote democratic principles as one diplomatic pillar.
When it came to the most famous foreignpolicy initiative in Thailand, no party could match the Social Action Party under former prime minister Kukrit Pramoj. In 1975, his party called for the withdrawal of US troops stationed in air bases around Thailand. He also opened diplomatic relations with China in July 1975 – even though Beijing did not demand such a condition.
In the past two decades, apart from the Democrats, other parties such as Chart Thai also came out with a distinctive foreign policy. Chatichai Choonhavan, leader from 1988 to 1991, proposed turning the battlefields of Indochina into marketplaces.
To be fair, the defunct Thai Rak Thai Party did have an active foreign policy, but it was pursued in a different fashion. It eventually became personalityled – Thaksin Shinawatra’s foreign policy from 2001 to 2006 with grandiose ideas about the region. He proposed the panAsian cooperation forum known as Asia Cooperation Dialogue and other regional economic forums.
Postcoup investigations revealed how Thaksin abused his power and approved extra credits and loans to benefit his own companies and associates. The package given by the Thai Exim Bank to the Burmese junta to develop its telecom sector was a case in point.
After September 11, 2001, like other countries, Thailand had to respond to worldwide counterterrorism moves. After months of recalcitrance, Thaksin managed to come out on top in the global antiterrorism campaign by arresting Hambali, the No 2 of the alQaeda movement, in Ayutthaya in August 2003.
In Washington, during a meeting with President George Bush, Thaksin agreed to dispatch Thai troops for postwar reconstruction in Iraq. He also won praise from Washington for his quick decisions after the tsunami in December 2004. In return, Bush elevated Thailand’s status to nonNato ally and agreed to begin a freetrade agreement. But the trade talks collapsed amid disagreement over drug patents.
Now with rapid globalisation, foreign policy has become an essential tool to promote and protect a country’s wellbeing and reputation. Yet Thai politicians are still ignorant of the tenets of foreign policy and key issues affecting the country. Very few elected politicians have shown interest in serving on foreign affairs committees and prefer financial or communications committees.
As a result, this upcoming election will not feature any discussion of foreign policy. Still, diplomacy is the most pivotal instrument to win back the confidence of foreign countries that Thailand urgently needs.
In the past year, Thailand’s reputation has plummeted to the lowest level. Apart from the coup’s repercussions, continued violation of human rights and the ongoing forced repatriation of Hmong refugees and other nationalities have already turned Thailand into a pseudopariah state.
Indeed, whichever party comes to power next year, diplomacy will dominate the daily state of affairs.
Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation