The minimum you must know

Thailand is a usually peaceful and very beautiful coastal country in southern Asia that's situated between Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The country developed rapidly over the past eighty years from depending entirely upon agriculture to having a fully developed modern economy, with strong tourism and manufacturing sectors. Thailand does have youth unemployment as a consequence of immigration and the 2020 global economic slowdown.

Thailand was aligned with the United States at the start of the 1900s through the first global conflict, but sided with Japan in the second. Thailand realigned with the United States, and has a military partnership today. As the Chinese economy developed rapidly along side their own, Thailand developed healthy economic and military relations with China as well.

Thailand alternated between democracy and military rule over the past several decades. Benevolent King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) has ruled ceremonially since 2016, and enjoys popular support. But current Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai took over for Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra this summer, who was considered too accommodating of the foreign Cambodian head of state, Hun Sen. Thailand's Supreme Court intervened in politics after a phone call leaked in which then Prime Minister Shinawatra offered to reopen the Thai-Cambodian border, in a tone that seemed too accommodating of immigration and about where the open border might be drawn.

The Cambodian government patterned “peace” at the United Nations last year. But apparently they subsequently deterred the Thailand government too successfully. Or Thailand simply didn’t want to take the chance on dramatically improving relations because of Cambodian impositions on Thailand during previous decades.

After Thailand's Prime Minister Shinawatra departed, a skirmish consequently developed in a Thai-Cambodian border area that might have become open instead. The conflict expanded quickly under new Thai leadership from involving small munitions and landmines to including missals from all sides and sorties by F-16s. Military activity continued until July 2025, when the United States intervened diplomatically, and successfully restored peace. This was the first military exchange between Thailand and Cambodia in around fifteen years.

Peace seems to be holding.

Currently there is calm on the border of Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand is at peace with all other countries.