What Peace? Trump’s Peacemaker Theatre for Thailand and Cambodia?

 


Donald Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize. Again. This time, he’s not just claiming credit for Gaza’s ceasefire or Venezuela’s de-escalation—he’s demanding a photo-op peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26-28. 

But beneath the choreography and theatrics lies a terrain of unresolved violence, symbolic overreach, and institutional fragility.

Gaza: Peace by Proxy or Power Play?

Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan promises hostages returned, Hamas disarmed, and Gaza rebuilt under a technocratic committee chaired by Trump himself. Arab states, the EU, and even China have endorsed it. But Hamas wasn’t at the table. Palestinian voices were sidelined. Israel continues air raids. Bibi is on the run from ICC.

And the plan’s architecture—led by a “Board of Peace” outside UN frameworks— lacks authority. But after 2 years and 65-250,000 deaths, once the rubble is cleared, a Trump deal is better than none.

Venezuela: Surveillance, Not Settlement

In the Caribbean, Trump’s administration has deployed warships, drones, and 4,500 Marines near Venezuela. The justification? Counter-narcotics. The reality? A $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head and drone strikes on alleged traffickers. Caracas declared a state of emergency. 3.7 million militia mobilised. This isn’t peace and is too small for regime change—it’s perimeter warfare dressed in narcostate and cartel gangs concerns.

10 warships and 4,500 USMC with far more impact in Haiti and its humanitarian collapse, and a cordon sanitaire for the Central American/Mexico cartel drugs trade.

And a contrast to Trump being played for $20BN by the Argentine rock star president.

Thailand–Cambodia: ASEAN’s Staged Ceasefire

But the largest theatrics surround Trump’s attendance at the ASEAN Summit which is reportedly conditional on a Thai-Cambodian peace signing. Malaysia, as host, is caught between appeasing Washington and excluding ASEAN and Beijing. 

Thailand Interim Government mired in a debate over 2 Referenda (!) just on the arcane MOU43and 43 Thai-KH border protocols - talks about talks with little real meaning for most Thai people except a knee-jerk ultra-nationalist reaction. Isn't Parliament tasked with such detailed issues?

But the July ceasefire—brokered after five days of artillery fire and 300,000 displaced—remains fragile- and the Trump role merely a support phone call for trade. And both Thailand and Cambodia desperate to extricate themselves from a foolish little war. 

Border crossings are closed. Landmines still kill. Talks stall over barbed wire fence removals, Pol Pot refugee villages, and POW repatriation. ASEAN’s centrality is symbolic; its peace architecture has become performative. Disputed borders since 1907 or 1941 won't resolve themselves in two weeks - but they could by June 2026.

Seven More “Peace Deals”?

Trump claims credit for seven international peace deals in 2025. But where are they? Syria? Lebanon? The big prize of Ukraine? Certainly Armenia or DRC, but India and Pakistan scoffing at any major Trump role. The Nobel narrative demands visibility, not viability. 

Each “deal” needs long-term action—negotiated through coercion, exclusion, or economic leverage. The Malaysian summit may host the theatre, but the terrain remains mined. And Trump could break the logjam:

What Peace?

  • POWs: No comprehensive repatriation frameworks exist. Trump welcoming the release of 18 KH POWs/hostages would be a powerful photo opp and truce gear change.

  • Border Disputes: Thailand–Cambodia’s 100-year demarcation remains unresolved. Trump could insist on key village and temple borders defined by Xmas. And then the rest of the border as USA-Canada example. And a large USA hospital ship or USAID monsoon aid ship in KH Ream naval base before the first Cambodian-Chinese warship a defining Trump image.

  • Sporadic Fire: Exchanges continue despite ceasefire agreements. Trump trade sanctions should ensure the guns remain silent. While a Trump Deal for Isaan border trade and skool rebuilds significant.

  • Landmine Clearance: Cambodia still has 1,723 km² of contaminated land. Trump could revitalise the 2030 Landmine Free pledges with MAG the Hilton Prize winner.

  • Symbolic Overreach: Trump’s “Board of Peace” bypasses multilateral norms. But could be taken up by ASEAN given the Myanmar War and previous talking shop non-intervention pledges.

  • ASEAN Fragility: Malaysia risks being cast unfairly as appeaser or pawn. An ASEAN Peacekeeping force a worthy Malay success with Timor accession and Thai and KH, Vietnam and Indonesia troops in Africa? Trump kickstarting a Myanmar Peace Group with ASSK release before coup junta fake elections?

  • Civilian Oversight: Absent. The deals are elite-led, media-framed, and tribunal-opaque. Civil Society a Malay success with Thailand in Deep South peace and military downsizing from coups with end of conscription and ASEAN-wide Cluster munitions, White Phosphorous and Landmine stocks destroyed. Thai soldier landmine victims meeting Trump a powerful image of change.

Trump’s peacemaker branding is a rupture in itself—weaponising diplomacy as spectacle, sidelining sovereignty, and overlaying conflict with photo-op logic. The terrain demands more than signing ceremonies. 

The minefields are still buried. The hostages still held. The borders still burning. But Trump cold achieve far more than a Trump Highway fluffy road name in Cambodia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Policy #5: Development not Over-Development

As MP I will halt the development boom of Concrete Kent in Thanet. We are overbuilding far beyond South East targets as mere property speculation for the construction industry. I will insist construction is refocused on renovating both public housing and empty properties: over 3,000 empty properties in Thanet - for years - before one brick is laid on new build. The idea of a 4th Town at Westwood Cross should also be ripped up as property and Planning overkill given vacant properties, an ageing population and a failed economy. And on prime farmland when Climate Change is a major issue and Food Security in preserving our farmland to reduce food imports. And of course major derelict brownfield sites such as Manston airport, Richboro: derelict longer than in operation, and many more. Councils are notorious for being focused on property and construction where the main parties get their kickbacks for handing out Planning permissions. Far greater scrutiny of the Planning system is required. A...
Read more

UN reform overdue after Gaza and Ukraine

  10 UN Reforms for a Leaner, Fairer, Future-Ready UN UN is slow to act on genocide in Gaza and Ukraine after 2 years of warfare. While Myanmar, Sudans and Haiti conflicts rumble on with minimal action. Even basics such as food and vaxx are delayed. Time for substantial reform beyond ineffective bureaucracy. 1. Open Elections for UN Secretary-General Replace backroom Security Council selection with General Assembly-wide voting . Candidates should publish manifestos, undergo public debates, and face term limits. 2. Permanent Seats for Africa, India, and Global South Expand UNSC to include 2 African nations (or a revamped African Union) , India , and Latin America . End the WWII victor monopoly — reflect today’s geopolitical realities. 3. Audit and Reduce UN’s 30,000+ Vehicle Fleet Many UN agencies maintain fleets far exceeding operational needs - certainly beyond Africa. Propose a global audit , with fleet downsizing and transition to EVs or shared logistics . 4. Merge Overlapping D...
Read more

After the Guns Fall Silent: What the Thai–Khmer Ceasefire Means for Isaan and the Borderlands

  After the Guns Fall Silent: What the Thai–Khmer Ceasefire Means for Isaan and the Borderlands The July 28 ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia marked a fragile pause in a conflict that displaced over 300,000 civilians and left dozens dead. Brokered under pressure from Malaysia, China, and the U.S. , the agreement includes a freeze on troop movements, a ban on attacks against civilians, and the deployment of ASEAN observers .  But for communities along the border—especially in Thailand’s Isaan region —the real question is: what now? The future all the more uncertain with PM Paetongtarn forced out of power by the Constitutional Court from the leaked Hun Sen phone call.  The PM role is vacant and presumably her Soft Power role with the former an interim PM role just for the next 4 months, possibly a Pheu Thai-Move Forward coalition then Charter reform and elections. So stasis for Thailand until early 2026 at best on major issues on Land Bridge, Digital Wallet etc and f...
Read more