The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) requires bigger and better ties with the United States not only for the sake of the region’s economic development and prosperity but also for its long-term peace and stability. There is no better time than now for the Malaysian government, in coordination with ASEAN members, to extend a formal invitation to President Trump to preside over the Oct. 26-28 ASEAN meeting as the chief negotiator for peace between Cambodia and Thailand.
President Trump’s role at this conference is critical for three reasons.
First, the Administration deserves credit for orchestrating the peace process that continues to be worked out today between Cambodia and Thailand. President Trump deserves credit for his leadership over a challenging border conflict that was precipitated by centuries-old disagreements over the border, and his Administration should be proud of preventing conflict that appeared all but certain to lead to all-out war and large-scale casualties.
President Trump’s role at this conference is also critical for the fact that the United States is a major partner and player in the region’s economy and development and ensuring such a high-level visit will reap enormous dividends in exploring mutual equities and partnership opportunities consistent with the Trump Administration’s America First Foreign Policy.
Finally, ASEAN must act now because the future peace and stability of the region is at stake. If there is any overarching insight to be learned from the border crisis between Thailand and Cambodia, it is the fact that the Southeast Asian region desperately needs the United States to continue to play a role in leading and helping the region’s continued peace and stability.
The Trump Administration’s fresh perspectives on international security offer an important opportunity to redefine what this role looks like and the strategies this entails for the region. We should extend an invitation today to President Trump to begin this critically important expanded dialogue on the role of the United States in the future of the region. While this dialogue does not have to occur from the podium of a peace ceremony, there is perhaps no better way to give the United States the forum for beginning this dialogue than the podium of this peace process.
YOUK CHHANG
Director, Documentation Center of Cambodia
October 7, 2025
