Political Science and Public Administration Journal

Reviewing the Study of State-To-State Relations in International Migration

2024-10-07T10:50:07+07:00

International migration is a significant interantioanal affair. However, its study in political science and International Relations emerged after other disciplines. This review article, therefore, explores the study of international migration through the lens of state-to-state relations. It provides a fundamental framework for connecting this phenomenon to the field of International Relations, demonstrating this by focusing on interactions between receiving and sending states. Refugee and migrant worker policies are viewed as tools to achieve foreign policy goals. This perspective gives rise to the concept of migration diplomacy and the study of power relations between receiving and sending states. While this framework, which emphasizes state-to-state relations, faces challenges from the inherently transnational nature of international migration and states' limited ability to control population movements effectively, it does not dismiss these arguments. Instead, it underscores the study of state behavior to complement our understanding of the phenomenon and to develop insights into state-to-state relations from a perspective linked to non-traditional transnational issues in International Relations.

Factors Strengthening International Norms: A Study on the Norm of Transparency and Accountability in the Case of Thailand Investment in Hydropower Dam Project in the Lao People's Democratic Republic

2024-09-23T11:34:34+07:00

Environmental governance can be considered a form of resource and environmental management that is more sustainable than state-centered management. However, the sustainability of environmental governance depends on adherence to key norms, such as transparency and accountability. While transparency and accountability are internationally recognized norms, their implementation at the state level remains weak. This article aims to propose a conceptual framework for the factors strengthening international norms. The theory of norm strength is studied and analyzed in conjunction with the concept of implementing international norms within states to develop a conceptual framework for factors that strengthen international norms, which consists of four factors: 1) Normative fit, 2) Institutionalization, 3) Interest alignment, and 4) Monitoring and Compliance mechanisms. The developed framework not only enhances the knowledge of international norms, which has limited research on factors that strengthen them, but also serves as a useful guideline for efforts to strengthen the implementation of international norms, both in general and in the context of Thailand's investment in hydropower dam projects in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

The Relationship between Thailand and China 2014-2023: Online Media Survey

2024-08-28T16:59:43+07:00

This academic article was conducted to study the relationship between Thailand and the People's Republic of China (PRC) between 2014 and 2023 in the time of the government of General Prayut Chan-o-cha. The study was mainly based on the data from online media since this type of media was popular among the youth. This study focused on the basic conditions in order to find out the reasons for a better relationship between Thailand and the PRC through observations from several situations in Thailand and in the PRC. Although Thailand’s foreign affairs during 2014-2023 were seen as a low-profile manner, from my point of view, such effort in making a friendly relationship with a superpower like the PRC was deemed as another foreign affair of Thailand. This better relationship is the win-win situation for both countries. Thailand also gains a great power of relationship and the PRC earns an accomplishment in the project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a mega project of the PRC with aims to expand the economic power and build cooperations among countries around the world. In this article, the basic concept of National Interests has been deployed to preliminarily explain the cordial relationship of these two nations.

New Analytical Religiology: The Role and Influence of Buddhism in Promoting Thailand's Foreign Affairs

2024-10-17T16:15:32+07:00

This article aims to explain (1) the concepts and dynamics of Buddhism in relation to Thailand’s foreign affairs, (2) the role and influence of Buddhism in promoting Thailand’s foreign Affairs, and (3) the future prospects on the role and influence of Buddhism in Promoting Thailand’s foreign affairs through a “New Analytical Religiology” approach. This approach does not focus on metaphysical theory, religious doctrines, or classical theology, but rather on the interdisciplinary study of religion as a mechanism driving social phenomena and social participation. This includes fields such as the sociology of religion, anthropology of religion, theology, axiology, ethics and political science, etc. It was found that Buddhism plays a role and exerts influence in supporting and promoting Thailand’s foreign policies and affairs in various dimensions, both directly and indirectly. These dimensions include economic, social, and political aspects such as trade and investment, interfaith diplomacy, peace, and security, and sustainable development, etc. The author aims to present new academic perspectives and discoveries to understand the role of religion in modern society and to contribute valuable new knowledge to the public.

Power, Knowledge, and Representation: A Critical Analysis of Conflict History Presentation in History Textbooks of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia and Its Impact on International Bilateral Relations

2024-09-02T09:17:10+07:00

This article critically examines the representation of conflict history in history textbooks from Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia through critical discourse analysis. The study revealed that textbooks from these three countries tend to reproduce nationalist historical narratives, emphasizing national mythologies, minimizing the significance of neighboring nations, and accentuating historical conflicts. This pattern reflects state power in shaping and directing citizens' understanding of history. Such historical representations significantly influence the formation of citizens' attitudes and the bilateral relations between nations. The article proposes developing history textbooks with a more multifaceted approach, fostering academic exchanges among historians, and establishing conflict management mechanisms that account for historical and cultural contexts. These recommendations aim to promote mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between the countries under study.

Without Paradigm? A Survey on Thailand’s International Relations Postgraduate Dissertations

2024-07-23T22:59:51+07:00

The discussion of the status of Thailand’s International Relations (IR) is nothing new among Thai scholars. Most of the research papers on the IR status in Thailand often conclude that the Thai IR community focuses on policy-oriented research, which, most of the time, depends on policy funding sources. Furthermore, it is nearly established, without much contention, that ‘realism’ is a dominant paradigm in Thailand’s IR discipline. To clarify these two issues empirically, this paper investigates Thailand’s post-graduate dissertations from 1958 to 2022. It embarks on the content analysis to evaluate the four main points of Thailand’s postgraduate dissertations: research goal; type of case study; theory; and methodology. We argue that the state of Thai IR is lacking in terms of theory-building research, extremely weak in terms of theory; state-centric in terms of case study, and regressive in terms of methodology.

Criticizing “Suvarnabhumi” from the Perspective of Chinese Ethnohistory

2024-11-26T10:40:26+07:00

This research article is divided into two main sections. 1) The first section critiques the concept of Suvarnabhumi as a framework, arguing that it can serve as a flexible academic tool that helps avoid the cliché of merely searching for the geographic location of the Suvarnabhumi Kingdom. By viewing Suvarnabhumi in this way, scholars can move beyond the rigid compartmentalization of area studies, where Suvarnabhumi is often equated with the strict geographic boundaries of Southeast Asia. 2) The second section builds on this idea by exploring Chinese knowledge related to Suvarnabhumi, specifically knowledge about Tai-speaking ethnic groups, with a focus on the Dai people. A critical reading of the creation of this knowledge uncovers the politics of knowledge production and China's stance toward Suvarnabhumi, as promoted by the Thai state—whether China seeks to connect with or distance itself from this narrative. At the same time, this analysis highlights the role such knowledge plays in the formation of the Chinese nation. In summary, this article proposes the use of Suvarnabhumi as a conceptual tool, while also focusing on how China produces knowledge about Tai-speaking ethnic groups, particularly the Dai, which are frequently connected to Suvarnabhumi and ancient Thai history.

The Political Economy of Business Trust: An Ethnographic Case Study of Thai Yunnanese Transnational Entrepreneurs in Chiang Mai

2024-06-11T10:40:47+07:00

This paper argues that the multiplicity of business plays a crucial role in the political economic development of six key respondents Thai Yunnanese transnational entrepreneurs in Chiang Mai who engaged business trust to rise economically against their historically marginalized context. Through an ethnographic research method with in-depth qualitative interviews and participant observation of over 30 respondents, this paper selectively investigates how six key respondents, Thai Yunnanese (Thai nationals with Yunnanese Chinese origins) transnational entrepreneurs in Chiang Mai, engage business trust to rise economically against their historically marginalized context. Summarily, this paper demonstrates that business trust comprises multi-faceted strategies, multiple paradoxically mitigating risk-taking mechanisms, and multi-dimensional flexible life cycles. Theoretically, this paper seeks to critically contribute to the fields of Chinese capitalism (that neglects marginalized overseas ethnic Chinese sub-groups) and political economy of trust in social sciences (that narrowly confines trust as conceptually static and unitary while limiting the epistemological capacity of trust as organizational). Practically, this paper offers recommendations at the global, regional, national and individual levels.

Upholding Human Rights? Military Intervention in Libya and the Fallibility of the Performative

2024-10-22T13:52:36+07:00

It is widely accepted that powerful Western governments played a decisive role in the violent removal of the Libyan government in 2011. There is also a broad consensus that the stated aims of installing ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ in Libya have not been achieved. This paper revisits the Western military intervention in Libya, taking as its point of departure and primary aim the exploration of its failure. This failure is deemed to be inevitable since military interventions are invariably constituted through discourse, and since discourse can never fix meaning definitively (i.e. through the logic of performativity). Exploring the fallibility of the performative in the case of the military intervention in Libya can 1) generate new insights into how Western governments’ attempts to constitute events in Libya failed to materialize, and 2) facilitate the repoliticization of the event itself. The paper pursues these aims through a poststructural discourse analysis of the broader debate on the military intervention in Libya. It shows how Western governments’ ‘human rights’ discourse was challenged in mainstream media by a ‘civil war’ discourse, which exposed some of the former’s shortcomings and blind spots. Two principal arguments are put forward. First, the paper argues that Western governments’ ‘human rights’ discourse fails due to its essentialist and universalist conception of ‘democracy,’ which cannot account for the complexity of the political situation unfolding in Libya. Second, the paper argues that the case of Libya stands as evidence of how ‘democracy’ must rather be considered as a ‘promise’ which is always ‘to come’. It is suggested that this Derridean conception of ‘democracy’ holds out the best hope for more stable, inclusive and peaceful transitions through tumultuous democratization processes.

Opportunities and Challenges for the Thai Content Industry Penetrating the Japanese Market

2024-10-16T17:52:34+07:00

This paper examines the opportunities and challenges for the Thai content industry in penetrating the Japanese market. The objective is to identify strategic opportunities and unique challenges, focusing on cultural, economic, and market-specific factors. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzed secondary data on the Japanese entertainment industry and conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Findings indicate that while Japan's diverse media landscape and growing interest in international content present significant potential, especially for Thai Y-series (BL), the market is highly competitive. Challenges include language barriers, limited distribution channels, and complex regulations. Analysis using Porter's Diamond Model reveals strengths in Thailand's unique cultural offerings and creative talent but highlights weaknesses in market access and coordinated promotion. Recommendations include government-led initiatives fostering cultural exchange and collaborations with Japanese companies, alongside private sector strategies focusing on targeted marketing and subtitling for broader audience reach. A long-term, multifaceted approach is crucial for the Thai content industry to successfully navigate the complexities of the Japanese market and achieve sustainable growth.