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| Image: Flickr User - U.S. Department of State |
By Shawn W. Crispin
Can Glyn Davies lift bilateral ties from their lowest point in decades?
New U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies arrived in Bangkok this week after the senior post remained vacant for nearly a year amid troubled times for bilateral ties. The seasoned envoy, a 35-year veteran in America’s diplomatic corps, will be tasked with steering relations in the wake of last year’s military takeover and rising perceptions that China has stolen a march through overtures towards Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s rights-curbing government.
Thai-U.S. ties are arguably at their lowest point in decades, crucially at a time when Washington is bidding to marshal regional support for its China-containing ‘pivot’ policy. Outgoing U.S. ambassador Kristie Kenney staked out a hard line against the coup, a position the State Department has maintained on democratic principle to the detriment of the wider strategic relationship. Kenney’s stance has so far outweighed the views of Thailand specialists in Washington who have called for a more nuanced approach to guard the United States’ considerable economic and strategic interests in the country.
Critical remarks made by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel at a Bangkok university in January saw Thailand’s Foreign Ministry reciprocally summon and upbraid charge d’ affaires W. Patrick Murphy. The diplomatic dressing down, reported widely in local media, was viewed as unprecedented for the long-time strategic allies. Murphy, a Myanmar specialist who has ably acted as the United States’ top envoy in Bangkok since Kenney’s departure in October, has maintained Washington’s drumbeat call for a speedy restoration of democracy and a reversal of curbs on rights and liberties.
Read the full story at The Diplomat