ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to examine the landscape of security studies in Thailand since King Rama V implemented governance reforms and successfully consolidated power. It is by no means a thorough investigation of the subject, though it should provide a sufficient overview of this nascent area of study. Indigenous conceptualization of security in Thailand, which is entwined with the integrity of the state, has proved quite inflexible to newer, less state-centric conceptions of security. However, the interpretation of security in Thailand is dynamic and has been shaped and reshaped predominantly through the experiences and expectations of an exclusive circle of political and military elites. It was only toward the end of the Cold War that academics and civilians had an increased role in broadening the concept of security. However, despite numerous academic books and articles on security produced by Thai scholars, it cannot be ascertained that any Thai security theory has been developed. In the case of Thailand, particular actors, namely those with strong ties to the state, are consistently “privileged,” resulting in the lack of debate as well as sustained efforts in theorizing the field. Despite the lack of theorizing, security studies in Thailand generally has an underlying tenet of realism, although the use of said theories is not always clear. Neorealist concerns are less explicit, given that the effects of international structure on unit-level actors are understudied in scholarly works. All in all, scholarly work in security in Thailand (if not outright empirical) have “borrowed” or “imported” International Relations (IR) theory existing elsewhere as well as international political economy concepts (Sunait et al. 2013) to help explain issues or phenomena concerning Thailand’s security. Critical security studies found their peers in small academic circles. The use of theory in security studies in Thailand (if any) remains heavily reliant on Western IR theory or the key works therein.
