Inimkond: Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun: Thailand's Foreign Relations after 2014

Our next Inimkond seminar will be held by Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun from Kyoto University and is titled Realignment of Power: The Impact of the 2014 Coup on Thailand’s Foreign Relations.

The seminar will take place on Wednesday, April 15th, from 6 to 8pm in room M-342 (Tallinn University Mare building). You are cordially invited to attend!

See also the Facebook event.

Abstract
Thailand’s coup of May 2014 not only generated significant impacts on domestic politics, but also on the country’s foreign policy. Facing international sanctions, mostly imposed by Western governments, the military government of PM Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, has attempted to diversify Thai foreign policy options in order to quench the intensity of outside pressure. For Thailand, in the post-coup period, there has been a strengthening of relations with neighbouring countries in ASEAN, namely Myanmar & Cambodia, as well as with China & Japan. Meanwhile, Thailand’s ties with Western nations, in particular the US, which called for the Thai junta to return power to the Thai people, have continued to chill. The visit of the US Assistant Secretary for East Asian & Pacific Affairs, Daniel R. Russel, in Jan 2015, emerged as a diplomatic hiccup that pushed Thailand further into the warm embrace of China. The presentation examines the current state of Thai foreign policy in relation to the domestic political crisis in Thailand.


Bio
Pavin Chachavalpongpun (PhD SOAS) is Associate Professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto Univ. He is the editor of 'Good Coup' Gone Bad: Thailand’s Political Developments Since Thaksin’s Downfall. Pavin also edits Kyoto Univ.’s online journal 'Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia'. After the coup of May '14, the military summoned him twice for speaking out about its political intervention. Subsequent to rejecting the summons, the Thai junta issued a warrant for his arrest thus forcing him to seek refuge from the Japanese government.

Inimkond: Current Issues in Anthropology and Beyond
full program at http://www.tlu.ee/en/estonian-institute-of-humanities/Anthropology/inimkond

This seminar series features speakers from anthropology and related fields, and fosters discussion of their research with a transdisciplinary audience. It aims to contribute to the culture of academic scholarship and debate at Tallinn University. Speakers include both local researchers and guests from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and with various takes on anthropological theory and methods. Presentations in the seminar series will be of interest to staff and students in anthropology, cultural theory, sociology, and history, among others.