Description: US President Donald Trump stated that he contacted the prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand after their recent border clashes and both officials agreed to return towards diplomacy in resolving their century – old border dispute. Trump also added that he was reassured from both that ongoing military buildup and cross border skirmished would immediately stop while both governments engage in forwarding the US – brokered peace agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur last month. Thailand and Cambodia were on the verge of returning to an all – out armed confrontation after several incidents propelled both countries to adopt a more militarily aggressive stands towards each other and escalate measures on both sides which significantly threatened the peace process.
Impact: Trump’s engagement as an official guarantor of the peace agreement would relieve the immediate bilateral tensions, however, it stops short of ensuring that both countries would productively engage in resolving the foundational issues of their bilateral dispute. The US President didn’t divulge the details of his conversations with the Thai and Cambodian prime ministers which indicates that they limited their assurances on verbal acknowledgements that conflict avoidance was the best path forward. There are no substantial guarantees that the peace platform would eventually succeed going forward since the escalatory narrative on both sides has a history of rapidly transpiring in a short amount of time. Going forward, the most important details in the dispute would be the refrainment from escalation and sincerely dedicated diplomatic resources towards resolving the long-standing dispute. The return of tensions and confrontations remains an objective possibility since both countries have traditionally adopted a stance that would defend their independent national interests.