ABSTRACT

Chapter 3 applies the framework of ontological security and status concern to the historical case of Thailand. The sole purpose of this chapter is to trace the origins of Thailand’s ontological insecurity by examining how Siam’s interactions with the Western powers in the nineteenth century stigmatised the Siamese elites to the extent that it would be impossible to conduct foreign relations without referring to the Western standards. The Siamese leaders, after an interaction with their Western counterparts, would constantly be reminded of the importance to achieve status and recognition from the Western community. This chapter investigates such dynamism by probing into each period of kingship, ranging from King Rama IV to King Rama VII. It demonstrates how each king in each period was primarily concerned about status when it came to foreign policy conduct. Another objective of this chapter is to point out a pattern that the Siamese leaders had been obsessed with the international politics of status-seeking since the nineteenth century.