Can Thailand Make a Difference in the Indo-Pacific?
Thailand hedges between Washington and Beijing while political turmoil saps its clout at home. This piece examines whether Bangkok's balancing act is strategy or drift.
Simon Whistler • July 28, 2026
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Note: this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or inconsistencies.
Across the Indo-Pacific, a small handful of powerful nations dictate an entire geopolitical pecking order. China, of course, is at the top of the heap. So massive and so incredibly powerful that even its strongest regional adversaries rely on the United States to even stand a chance.
In the east, there's Japan, wealthy, highly advanced, and recently staring down the path of remilitarization. Then, toward the south, there's the nation of India, rising fast with all the potential in the world, but where there's so much more to be done before it reaches the strength of true global power.
Further to the southeast, there's Australia, wealthy, reasonably well-armed, but stuck on the periphery of regional affairs, both in political and geographical terms.
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