Indigenizing the Cold War

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The Border Patrol Police (BPP) of Thailand originated in the early 1950s as a paramilitary intelligence force supported by the CIA. By the 1960s, shifts in Thailand's political landscape and U.S. strategies against communism transformed the BPP into a civic action agency backed by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Thai monarchy. This agency focused on promoting anticommunist modernization, civilian counterinsurgency, and royalist nationalism, extending its influence from the margins to the center of Thai society and shaping the concept of "Thainess" (khwam pen thai). Tensions between the royalist network, including military and rightwing factions, and democratization movements escalated, leading to a tragic event on October 6, 1976, when the Village Scout, a vigilante group formed by the BPP, and the Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit attacked peaceful protesters at Thammasat University. The military coup on the same day solidified the royalist network's dominance in Thai politics and society beyond the Cold War. This study of the BPP's evolution reveals how the Thai elite pursued nation-building through an "indigenization" lens, challenging traditional Cold War narratives. It illustrates that the conflict in Thailand was not solely ideological but also a struggle between local elites and the populace, highlighting the dynamics between global powers and local authorities that perpetuated authoritarianism.