BANGKOK: The Innovation and Technology Information Foundation (ITIF), a US-based think tank, released its “Trump Risk Index”, evaluating risks faced by 39 US-allied countries and territories under Donald Trump’s presidency.
Thailand emerged as the second nation facing the highest risk and is the only Asian country in the top 10.
The report highlighted Thailand’s vulnerabilities, particularly its significant trade surplus with the US and its below-average defence spending.
Joining Thailand in the top five high-risk countries are Mexico, Slovenia, Austria and Canada, the report said, adding that the reasons were the same – below-average defence spending as a percentage of GDP and substantial trade surpluses with the US.
Mexico and Thailand notably have the largest trade surplus with the US. The other problem is that these nations appear to be hesitant to fully align with the US to counter China’s growing influence in military, diplomatic, and technology-driven economic arenas.
Thailand’s risk score was mainly driven by its trade surplus, scoring -1.89 and defence spending at -1.14.
Thailand also scored 0.47 for barriers against the US and 0.48 for its stance on opposing China, resulting in a total risk score of -3.98, second only to Mexico.
Thailand is the only Asian nation in the top 10, with other Asian US allies ranking much lower, namely the Philippines (17th), Japan (25th), South Korea (22nd), and Taiwan (31st).
Under Trump’s “America First” policy, countries perceived as benefiting disproportionately from US economic openness or collaborating with China for economic advantages, rather than firmly supporting the US, face increased scrutiny.
In contrast, the five lowest-risk countries in the index are Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, and Australia, with all but Australia spending an above-average proportion of GDP on defence. - The Nation/ANN
