If international diplomacy had a soundtrack, late July in Southeast Asia would have been all cymbals and drumrolls. While Thai and Cambodian forces traded fire along their contentious border, a different kind of volley erupted online: President Donald J. Trump posted on Truth Social on July 26 that the United States would halt trade talks with both countries if the shooting didn’t stop. Within hours, he said he was on the phone with Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s acting prime minister, urging both sides to stand down and talk it out.
According to Trump, those calls worked. He announced that Phnom Penh and Bangkok had agreed to meet—and within days, the leaders did just that in Malaysia, hammering out their first ceasefire agreement. Ever the showman, Trump then proclaimed, “I am proud to be the President of PEACE!”—a victory lap that came paired with a recalibration of tariffs. The White House slashed the expected import duties for both countries, trimming Cambodia’s from a projected 49% to 19% and Thailand’s from 36% to 19%.
Peace in the region, however, has a way of testing its own durability. Mere hours after the ink dried on the first ceasefire, gunfire reportedly cracked the quiet once again along the Thai–Cambodian frontier. That set off a diplomatic dash: a second ceasefire agreement quickly followed, and then a third on August 7. After this trilogy of truces, officials on both sides signaled that the border had edged back toward something like normal—though “normal” now comes with the sobering tally of damage left behind.
In the wake of those efforts, Cambodia’s Hun Manet took an unmistakable public step: he announced on Facebook that he had formally nominated President Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. The post featured a portrait of Trump alongside an official-looking letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Hun Manet’s message credited Trump’s pressure campaign and follow-up diplomacy for pushing the two militaries toward a halt in hostilities and for keeping attention fixed on the ceasefires until they took root.
Summarizing his rationale, Hun Manet wrote that, at the request of Cambodians at home and abroad, and in gratitude for Trump’s initiative and ongoing support, he had submitted an official nomination to Oslo recognizing the U.S. president’s role in catalyzing the immediate ceasefire between Cambodian and Thai forces—and in shepherding it toward full implementation. It was a rare public nod from a sitting Southeast Asian leader, delivered with the imprimatur of the prime minister’s office and amplified by social media.
Of course, the Nobel buzz around Trump isn’t contained to the Mekong. The Standard reported that Pakistan, citing his involvement in easing tensions with India, announced in June that it would nominate him as well. And just last month, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly put Trump’s name forward for the prize, adding Middle Eastern heft to the growing list of endorsements.
Back on the Thai–Cambodian border, the diplomatic choreography has been delicate. The first ceasefire, struck on neutral ground in Malaysia, was meant to serve as a cooling-off period and a blueprint for de-escalation. The tariff reset from Washington—equalized at 19% for both countries—signaled a carrot after the stick of threatened trade freezes. But the speed with which fighting flared again underscored how fragile front-line agreements can be when local commanders, historic grievances, and hair-trigger misunderstandings collide.
Still, three ceasefires in rapid succession have a way of building muscle memory. Each renewed agreement tightened coordination between the two sides and expanded the channels for rapid communication when tensions spiked. By August 7, officials described conditions as “near normal,” a phrase that carries the relief of quiet nights and reopened checkpoints—and the reality of damaged infrastructure and communities counting the cost.
As for the politics of peace, Hun Manet’s nomination puts a diplomatic spotlight on the role of outside pressure—and presidential megaphones—in crisis management. Trump’s public threat to suspend trade talks, followed by personal calls and a celebratory flourish, formed a classic blend of leverage and theatrics. Whether the Nobel Committee agrees with the premise is a question for another day in Oslo. For now, the border is calmer, the tariffs are lower than expected, and the region has a fresh set of signatures under three ceasefires to prove it.
On Facebook, the narrative unfurled in images and official stationary: a portrait of the U.S. president, an embossed letter, and a message that doubled as both a thank-you and a bid to cement the moment. If diplomacy is often done in whispers, this chapter was written in bold fonts and broadcast to millions—proof that, in 2025, the road to peace can run straight through a timeline.
Photo via Facebook/ Hun Manet
Photo via Facebook/ Donald J. Trump
Be First to Comment