Frenemies: The Long History Between Thailand & Cambodia [S8.E25]

Greg and Ed discuss the long, strange and complex history between
Thailand and Cambodia in an attempt to shed some light on the
tragic current conflict. Greg begins with some early history. The
majority of Southeast Asia was once part of the Khmer Empire
based in Angkor. Eventually Thai kingdoms in Sukhothai and
Ayutthaya achieved independence, but tension between the two
powers was constant. In a complex maelstrom of alliance and
conflict, each power borrowed, copied and outright stole selected
cultural artifacts from each other, such that untangling the
exact pedigree of multiple shared cultural touchstones can be
difficult.


Like many empires in history, the Khmer power began to wane in
the face of territorial integrity, outside threats, inside
warring, and eventually,  the rise of Thai kingdoms (as well
as Viet ones), all of which led to the slow decline of Angkor. In
the late 1800s, the Khmers sought the protection of France, who
bullied Siam into ceding territory that would eventually become
modern Cambodia. Japan played a similar role in World War II.
After the war in Vietnam, radical communists took over Cambodia
and destroyed many institutions of modernity, but their extreme
nature led them to be invaded by Vietnam, who eventually
installed Hun Sen as prime minister. When Vietnam faltered in the
80s and 90s, Cambodia turned to China as a patron. 


When Thaksin Shinawatra, an outsider among the Thai elite, rose
to power, he formed an unlikely bond with the Hun Sen clan in
Cambodia. However, the recent Shinawatra foray into legalized
casinos in Thailand was too much for the friendship, and Hun Sen
betrayed Thaksin's daughter, leading to the downfall of her
government. Both countries used the incident and long-gestating
disputes over the border to stoke nationalist fervor, and
provocations eventually led to all out conflict.


Greg and Ed agree that while the two countries have clear issues
to settle, the ongoing violence can only make matters worse, and
diplomacy, with or without the help of Donald Trump, must
prevail. 


Note that this episode was recorded on December 10, so there may
or may not have been important developments by the time you hear
this.