The Historical Foundations of Thailand's Retreating Style, or How They Became the Best Defensive Fighters In the World

[sean_janowski]

Just finished the first part and I absolutely love this topic. I have a better understanding for what dominance is to Thai people and then fundamental difference of there perspective of warfare. The whole land vs labor is so eye opening and learning about how southeast Asia approached warfare is eye opening and just very interesting to me. The story about the French fighter in 1778 is pretty crazy and I love it. Thank you for sharing this, can't wait to finish reading

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu]

23 hours ago, sean_janowski said:

Just finished the first part and I absolutely love this topic.

Thank you so much for reading the somewhat dense material. I do feel its an important conceptual adjustment we have to make if we are going to picture the nature of warfare and contest in Southeast Asia & Siam in particular. I hope you enjoy the rest of what you read.

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu]

Continuing a bit with my footnotes and further reading, here is an interesting passage which speaks to the head hunting practice in the Philippines (a practice that is thought to be a warfare logic that was fairly common in pre- and early history mainland SEA, though becoming marginal in the rise of the city state), something that I've discussed in my treatment of the logic of Soul Stuff. 

from

Some Comparative Thoughts on Premodern Southeast Asian Warfare

Victor Lieberman

Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 46, No. 2, Aspects of Warfare in Premodern Southeast Asia (2003), pp. 215-225 (11 pages)

 

V. Lieberman rightly points out that SEA in the Anthony Reid hypothesis, faces a counter logic in its own history of warfare, and interrogates it with a series of prospective questions.