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| Southeast Asia |
| Beijing, Bangkok to expand military ties amid junta's souring relations with Washington |
| 2015-02-08 |
| h/t Gates of Vienna China and Thailand agreed yesterday to expand military links over the next five years, from increasing intelligence sharing to fighting transnational crime, as the ruling junta seeks to counterbalance the country's alliance with Washington. ...Thailand's army took control last May saying it needed to restore order after months of political unrest that killed nearly 30 people. The United States, a long-time ally of Thailand, expressed dismay at the coup and froze US$4.7 million of security-related assistance and cancelled some security cooperation. US-Thai relations deteriorated further last month when Bangkok accused Washington of meddling in its political affairs over the remarks by a visiting US envoy, who criticised the junta. O & Co, making friends and influencing people wherever they go. |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #7 CHINA-VS-US-NUCLEAR?-ISLAM spreads to Bangladesh, Myanmar fka Burma, + now seemingly Thailand. Naval Bases, Pipelines, + Islamism, in addition to the proposed Sino-Thai Kra Canal. * IIRC BHARAT RAKSHAK > CHINA-MYANMAR PIPELINE AVOIDS MALACCA TRAP - THE HINDU. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-02-08 20:38 |
| #6 "Oh no... we're gonna recall our ambassador, and your only recourse will be to throw us into the Briar Patch! Oh no, Brer Hound, don't throw us into the Weaker US Briar Patch!" |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2015-02-08 12:57 |
| #5 If one's objective is to detach the country foreign relations efforts from anything other than diplomacy, then I'd say the White House had another success. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-02-08 10:36 |
| #4 ...leading from behind (sometimes known as skulking) |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-02-08 09:37 |
| #3 There has been no US Ambassador here in Thailand since last November - signaling America's dissatisfaction with a military-installed government that took over last May, to put an end to widespread street disturbances between opponents and supporters of a weak, dysfunctional, and corrupt civilian government. So - Thailand is playing its cards smoothly, to remind the US that it is not the only game in town. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2015-02-08 08:37 |
| #2 A similar situation occurred during the Carter regime. When the Thai military attacked students for acts of lese majeste the US via Carter's flack Pat Derian tried to cut off all aid to Thailand. This was brought to a speedy conclusion by superior diplomat Philip Habib who reminded Derian (and Richard Holbrooke) that the US and Thailand had been allies for more than a century, and AID/State meddling would not be tolerated. |
| Posted by: Ulique Pelosi8805 2015-02-08 07:42 |
| #1 US-Thai relations deteriorated further last month when Bangkok accused Washington of meddling in its political affairs over the remarks by a visiting US envoy, who criticised the junta. Rejecting the encroachment of radical Islam will usually result in criticism and betrayal by the White House. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-02-08 07:05 |