Thailand's foreign policy towards Vietnam, 1978-1991

Abstract

This thesis is a study of Thailand's foreign policy towards Vietnam in the period following Vietnam's 1978 invasion of Cambodia through to the settlement of the Cambodian conflict under the terms of the Paris Agreement on Cambodia in October 1991. Among other things, the study examines the evolution of Thai policy towards Vietnam in the context of the Cambodian conflict, the major issue dominating the relationship between the two countries during this period. In particular, it focuses upon two different policies pursued by the Thai government: the decision to cooperate with China against Vietnam and the subsequent transformation of that policy under the Chatchai Choonhavan Administration. The central argument of the thesis is that, despite socio-economic changes taking place in Thailand during the 1980s and the concomitant emergence of participatory institutions in Thai politics, the Thai military continued to play a dominant role in formulating Thailand's policy towards Vietnam. It will be shown that the policy was largely formulated in terms of the military's perceptions of internal and external changes, its military-oriented attitude and its corporate and personal interest.