ABSTRACT
The ties that bind Thailand to the United States are not just political. Rather, they are the product of a close, often-highly personalised arrangement of power developed over a half century and across Thai society. Shared security interests, economic and financial arrangements, and cultural understanding developed through decades of working together ensured the relationship survived the end of the Cold War. It has only been during the early 21st century that things have begun to unravel, so that while many of the structural arrangements that keep Thailand and the United States tied together remain in place, many of the cultural and emotional ties have been tested considerably. At the same time, the increasingly draconian Thai state and the rising economic power of China has left much of the Thai establishment looking north for future support. As usual in Thailand, the shifting sands of Great Power politics are once again having a disproportionate impact on Thailand’s internal political climate, as elite groups scramble to make the most of a changing direction in the wind.
