Asian AngleCambodia and Thailand must define the border to achieve lasting peace

The Cambodia-Thailand border dispute is complex: the result of a tangle of colonial-era treaties, competing maps, contested temples, unsettled demarcation and recurring nationalism. The rise of ultranationalist groups on both sides has made reconciliation harder still. Armed clashes, partly driven by domestic political developments, erupted in July and December 2025, showing how quickly the dispute can turn violent and how costly that violence can be for both economies.

From Phnom Penh’s perspective, the immediate priority is pressing Thailand to withdraw its troops while rejecting attempts to redraw borders through force, coercion or fait accompli. Cambodia’s approach rests on three tracks: bilateral mechanisms, international legal processes and third-party mediation. For any of these to deliver results, however, both sides must first settle demarcation itself.