The co-ordinating problem stems from several reasons. First, the frequent change of government directly forces bureaucrats across the board to abandon many projects that do not serve the political interests of incumbent government. This can be seen in Thailand’s foreign policy toward neighboring countries in the post-Cold War era. Albeit the same focus on nurturing good ties and strengthening economic cooperation, different governments since Chatichai came up with different projects. After the “turning the battlefields into marketplaces” policy, the Chuan government focused on the QEC but progressed very slowly afterwards. Instead, Chavalit emphasized his personal links with military leaders in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos and prioritized Bangkok’s support for their application for ASEAN membership. When Chuan returned to office in 1998, the QEC was revived but fading away towards the end of his term as economic recovery became Thailand’s priority amidst the economic crisis.