Letter From Bangkok

The Year of the Ox - 1997 - was a tumultuous year for the Kingdom of Thailand. After ten years of unparalleled economic growth, the government of then-Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyuth found itself in the middle of an unprecedented economic and financial crisis which compelled it to seek assistance from the IMF. At the same time, the country was in the final stages of its most significant constitutional reform since the absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932. In turn, these events - especially the crisis in the economy - focused renewed attention on the close but often complex relationship between Thailand and the United States.

Thailand remains one of the five treaty allies of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Its location in the heart of mainland Southeast Asia, and on the littoral of both the Pacific and Indian Oceans is of an obvious strategic importance.

Thailand has a larger population than France and has abundant natural resources. The United States’ economic stake is considerable: more than $18.5 billion in annual two-way trade in 1997 and approximately $16 billion in direct U.S. investment. U.S. automobile manufacturers Chrysler, Ford and GM, computer component makers like Seagate, oil companies like ESSO and CALTEX, consumer products giants like Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, and many other American companies have located in Thailand because of its political and social stability, well-developed infrastructure, large domestic market, central location and supply of skilled labor at competitive costs.

Thailand is a political success story. With a new constitution and a new government committed to bolstering democratic institutions and respecting its citizens’ rights, it stands out from the other, mainly authoritarian, governments in the region. Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand is an advocate of free markets, open political systems and cooperation with the United States and the West.

The personal ties between the United States and Thailand are another tangible factor in the close Thai-American relationship. Over the years, Thai leaders in politics, business, academia and the arts have studied at U.S. universities. More than twelve thousand Thais are doing so today. ¹ Some of the most influential members of the current government (including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance) are graduates of American universities, as are many of the leading bankers, businesspeople, journalists and academicians. Over the last four decades more than 21,000 Thai military personnel, including most who now occupy command positions, have received training in the United States; a number of Thais are graduates of the U.S. service academies. A still larger number of both officers and enlisted personnel have become acquainted with their American counterparts as participants in joint training exercises and, in Korea and Vietnam, as comrades in arms.

These are just some of the reasons why the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok is one of the largest United States Missions in the world. We host bilateral and regional offices for more than a score of government agencies. These agencies enjoy a cooperative relationship with the Government of Thailand in the traditional foreign affairs pursuits as well as everything from counter-narcotics to suppression of illegal alien smuggling to efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS. It is an extraordinarily rich and diverse relationship.

The current financial crisis undoubtedly has put some strain on these ties and has caused Thais and Americans alike to take a new look at the relationship. Such a reexamination is a welcome sign of the maturity of the two countries’ partnership. I am convinced that the strains will prove transitory because the intangible, human links will prevail and the national interest of both countries are convergent. Three areas especially remain the focus of our present and future relationship: cooperation in regional security and defense, including the suppression of the international narcotics trade; shared commitment to democratic governance and human rights; recognition of the mutual benefits of economic cooperation through greater openness of markets and freer trade.

The Historical Context

The friendship between Thailand and the United States goes back to the earliest days of the American republic, when Yankee traders first...