Thailand's Political Power Structure And US Allied Control (1992-2016)

Thailand is an important pivot for the United States to play its irreplaceable role in Southeast Asia.Thailand has strengthened its cooperation with China becuse China gradually became a regional great power.In the face of such a situation,the US-Thai alliance has not been weakened by Thailand's pro-China policy.The United States has very limited control over Thailand.This is mainly because in the late period of King Bhumibol,King Bhumibol succeeded in gradually accumulating and reviving royal power in difficult circumstances,balancing the relationship between the army,the government and other social forces,and eventually formed a single political power structure in which the royal family,the military group and the middle class are combined.The political power center with the king as the core has become the dominant force in Thai politics.The military group and the middle class attach and support the king's power in order to protect their own interests.Therefore,in the process of controlling Thailand,the United States has difficulty using other forces in society to limit or balance the rights of the King of Thailand.In the later period of King Bhumibol,Thailand continued to strengthen military security cooperation and economic cooperation with China,which reflected the limited control of the United States against the Thai Union.But with the death of King Bhumibol in October 2016,it was difficult for king Wajilalongkorn to retain royal authority.The death of King Bhumibol will leave a power vacuum in Thailand,which will change the political power structure of Thailand to a certain extent,and will also make the United States strengthen control over Thailand.