This unusual status creates a different dynamic in cross-border relations
from that described by Brubaker. One might expect that a larger minority
would attract more attention from the homeland and have a closer relationship
with it. Surprisingly, however, this does not seem to be the case. Mongolia
is not strongly inclined to see itself as a protector of the ‘fraternal community’
across its borders. Nor does Laos champion the Lao in Thailand, or
Malaysia the Malays in Indonesia. It appears that there are three sets of reasons
for this sense of distance between two communities which one might expect
to be close.