When Thaksin later followed in the footsteps of Chatichai, he, too, was ousted in the military coup of 2006. The elusiveness of unlocking the traditional mode of thinking about foreign policy amongst the Thai elite, to a certain extent, represents a major hindrance to the work of Thai diplomacy.
In the context of Thailand’s Great Powers politics, it is only relevant to focus the attention on the role of China, the only Great Power in the region supposedly capable of contesting United States influence on Thailand’s foreign affairs. China epitomizes the most commensurate contender to face United States supremacy since both Powers have been competing to win Thailand’s alliance, willing to invest resources, and perfecting strategies to accomplish their goals. So far, European Great Powers have exercised little leverage in the way Thai diplomacy has been conducted. In fact, their role in Thailand’s foreign affairs has plunged into obscurity since the end of the colonial period. Likewise, certain obstacles delay the improvement of bilateral relations between Thailand and Russia, including the lack of a real interest, and perhaps capability, on the part of Moscow to venture beyond its immediate Asian frontier. In other words, Russia has given