Soft Power and the Development of Thai Society

Abstract

The term ‘Soft Power’ was coined by the political science academician Joseph Nye, and refers to the use of power that allows others to do what the power user wants without force, including guns, weapons and payment, but rather by gaining favour through attraction which consequently enables the power user to do as he or she desires. Thailand has a number of phenomena that demonstrate the use of soft power to build the reputation and development of the country, namely, mango sticky rice, river prawn spicy soup (Tom Yum Goong), Pad Thai, Thai boxing, tourism, the concept of ‘Siam: Land of Smiles’, Thai movies, to name just a few. The purpose of this academic article is to understand the phenomenon of soft power and its use in the development of Thai society; to understand the problems, in the use of soft power in social development and to explore the problem solving process. The research found that Thai society has an important strength in that Thai people are polite, gentle, and smiling, as found in the oft-quoted phrase "Siam, the land of smiles". This research determines that the government should support soft power continuously to gain popularity because the creation of soft power takes time and the results do not appear immediately. Once the popularity of Thailand truly emerges and strengthens, Thailand can be said to have achieved its soft power goal. The role of social developers, community developers, social welfare practitioners and social workers in government agencies and private sectors in pursuing and in creating policies for social development, community development and social welfare is crucial. Social work can draw on soft power to create values, motivation, and incentives in social development well-being. It can also be used to reduce discrimination ranging from differences in gender, social status, age, race, and class, thus reducing social inequality. Soft power can be employed to achieve this through various digital media, which reach people quickly, leading to public or target groups that are more active in social development, community development, social welfare, and social work.