ABSTRACT
Thailand and the United States (US) are like an old couple, unable to escape from each other, bickering and sniping at each other’s perceived inadequacies yet still possessing memories of mutual affection from years gone by. The turbulence in the Thai-US security relationship following the 2014 Thai coup showed how domestic politics can trigger significant strategic change. But contingency is also a feature of Thai-Chinese relations. Thai perceptions of China could change rapidly, just as they did in the wake of the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950. A significant incident where China used force to manage disputes could also see an abrupt reconfiguration of Thai strategic priorities. In this way, Thailand’s hybridity resembles the “superposition” of quantum physics, where a subatomic particle can exhibit more than one state. Thailand tends to view all Great Powers as threats as well as allies until there is a concrete manifestation of their strategic intentions.
