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The World Research of Political Science Journal

The World Research of Political Science Journal

Abstract

In 2008, fighting broke out between the Thai and the Cambodian militaries after a centuries long dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple and the surrounding hill of Phnom Trap. The temple, built in the 10th century AD under the Khmer Kingdom, has been under the sovereignty of several kingdoms across the years, until the Franco-Siamese Treaty in 1867. Other historical events helped shape the conflict in 2008, such as colonial French mapping and the Cambodian independence. Several tactics were used to resolve this conflict, such as negotiations, adjudication, and mediation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes, and evaluate the strategies used. The nature of protracted conflicts such as the Thai-Cambodian border dispute make it a challenge to evaluate the success of conflict resolution. However, by defining the mandates of each strategy used, the paper concludes why negotiations and sports diplomacy did not work, and adjudication and mediation provided a decrease in hostility. The paper argues that due to the identity issues rooted in the Thai-Cambodian conflict, only third-party interference could halt the violence. To do so, the first section is dedicated to the causes of the conflict, using a four-part typology. It includes a brief historical overview and timeline of the conflict. The second section is dedicated to exploring the different conflict resolution measures used and evaluating each according to their specified mandate. The identity issues are emphasised throughout andare finally used as a conclusion to debate the effect it might have on future Thai-Cambodian relations.

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