Suchergebnisse

Foreign aircraft trespassing national airspace is considered a violation of state sovereignty and tends to precipitate serious responses, ranging from shooting down offenders to diplomatic protests. In late June 2022, a Myanmar MiG-29 fighter jet flew over Thailand's Phop Phra district, made a low pass, and fired at ethnic-minority armed groups stationed along the border. The incident was a clear-cut airspace incursion, apparently intended to incite retaliation from Bangkok. However, despite the harshly worded initial response in a press release issued promptly by the Royal Thai Air Force, the Prayut government attempted to minimize the seriousness of the Myanmar fighter jet's actions. This unexpected reaction triggered considerable public criticism. Nevertheless, given Thailand's complex positioning in the Thai–Myanmar borderlands, the mitigated response might have had a certain logic, especially if, as some onlookers suggested, the intrusion was intentional.

AbstractThe Mekong region is witnessing a regional order reconfiguration triggered by the China‐led Lancang‐Mekong Cooperation (LMC). Little research is available regarding the history of this sub‐regional grouping, particularly about its formation. Using sources from a recently opened archive in Bangkok, this article reappraises the origins and evolution of the initiative within the lens of regional group formation theory. Findings show that LMC is a revised version of Thailand's proposal for the formation of a dialogue on the management of the Mekong River that was initially dismissed by China. As China under Xi Jinping‐era claimed great power status with a droit de regard over the near abroad, it has used the LMC to exercise exclusive leadership over the Mekong region. This can be seen in the preparation of institutional infrastructure for the construction of a China‐Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor (CICPEC) as part of China's wider Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) strategy.

This volume highlights unique contributions of Asian middle powers to promoting of peace, development, human security, and democracy in Southeast Asia. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have pursued variations on the normative theme of "new Southern policies," while Thailand is a major subregional actor.