Thailand and Cambodia: is real peace possible?
Following several new clashes, the ceasefire agreed between Cambodia and Thailand under pressure from the US after days of heavy fighting is apparently under threat. The conflict centres on the two historic temples Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear in the border region, to which both countries lay claim. Commentators examine the reasons behind the dispute and see little hope of it being resolved any time soon.
Environment not conducive to lasting peace
The Frankfurter Rundschau warns against false hopes that the ceasefire will solve any problems:
“In the heated past weeks it has become clear how overwhelming the mutual mistrust is. ... Two states in which democratic control mechanisms - free elections and a free press - function only to a limited extent can hardly provide a fertile environment for lasting peace. Especially not when governments are faced with major political challenges: in Cambodia and Thailand the cost of living is so high that even the middle class is beginning to struggle. However, the rest of the world is only likely to be interested in this when there are more clashes and hundreds of thousands of people have to flee, as is the case now.”
The instability continues
This conflict is likely to continue and intensify, The Irish Times predicts:
“The ceasefire may hold, but has done nothing to heal the instability that triggered the conflict. In the background are two former prime ministers, Cambodia's longtime autocratic leader Hun Sen, and Thailand's populist Thaksin Shinawatra. They were once bosom buddies. ... With the Hun-Thaksin relationship disappearing, nationalists in both militaries seized an opportunity to vent old grievances. Each side continues to accuse the other of initiating the attacks on contested temples. An uneasy peace is the best that can be hoped for.”
Trump is the global firebrand
Der Standard rejects the image of the US president as a peace broker:
“Isn't it the consequences of Trump's policies that are fuelling global uncertainty? The cuts in USAID funding, for instance, are hitting both Thailand and Cambodia hard. And the tariff threats are having an even worse effect. ... Naturally, the conflict in Southeast Asia is much older than Trump's actions. Both the roots and the triggers of the latest escalation must be assessed independently of the US leader. Nevertheless Trump's policy of trading off peace for good economic conditions remains cynical. Yes, it may work in some cases. But overall, Trump is not making the world a safer place - quite the contrary in fact.”