Cambodia ‘needed a hero’ to intervene in its border dispute with Thailand, analysts say – and Trump’s ego made him the perfect candidate
The award, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious peace accolade, is typically bestowed upon individuals or organisations judged to have “advanced fellowship between nations”.
But Sophal Ear, associate professor at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, told This Week in Asia that Cambodia’s nomination was less a reflection of Trump’s peacemaking credentials than of Phnom Penh’s “strategic positioning”.
“The gesture is largely symbolic, a low-cost, high-profile way to curry favour with a US president who remains unpredictable and transactional,” the Cambodian-American political scientist said.
Your personal data will be processed and information from your device (cookies, unique identifiers, and other device data) may be stored by, accessed by and shared with 88 TCF vendor(s) and 20 ad partner(s), or used specifically by this site or app.
