PoliticsdiplomacyBilateral Relations
US and Cambodia Revive Military Exercises After Long Hiatus
The geopolitical chessboard just witnessed a significant move as the United States and Cambodia announced the revival of their flagship Angkor Sentinel military exercises, ending an eight-year suspension that had signaled a deep chill in bilateral relations. This isn't just a routine training event; it's a full-scale political maneuver, a carefully orchestrated campaign to win back influence in a region where Washington has been steadily losing ground to Beijing.The announcement, delivered with strategic precision by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a security summit in Malaysia, functions as the campaign's opening ad—a bold declaration of re-engagement aimed at both a Cambodian audience and a global one. Recall the context of the 2017 suspension: it was a period of escalating tension, with Phnom Penh's government increasingly aligning with Chinese strategic and economic interests, culminating in the controversial exclusive access granted to China's military at the Ream Naval Base.This new development, therefore, is a dramatic pivot, a diplomatic offensive designed to counter China's pervasive sway. The Trump-backed peace accord with Thailand, mentioned almost as a supporting actor in this drama, further illustrates the broader, multi-front strategy the US is employing to reassert its presence in Southeast Asia, a region it cannot afford to cede.For Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, this represents a masterful play in hedging strategy; by welcoming back American forces for joint exercises, he dilutes the perception of absolute fealty to China, thereby gaining crucial negotiating leverage and diversifying his nation's international partnerships. The consequences are profound: this single exercise will be scrutinized in Beijing, Hanoi, and Manila as a key indicator of shifting allegiances.Will it lead to a permanent rebalancing, or is it a temporary thaw? Analysts are already debating whether this is a genuine reset or merely a tactical pause in a longer-term trend of Sino-Cambodian alignment. The drills themselves will be the next battleground, their scale, scope, and transparency serving as the next set of polling data in this high-stakes geopolitical campaign.For the Pentagon, it's a hard-won victory in a long game, a chance to rebuild military-to-military ties that have atrophied for nearly a decade. The message is clear: America is back at the table in Cambodia, and this time, it's playing to win.
#featured
#US-Cambodia relations
#military exercises
#Angkor Sentinel
#diplomacy
#defense cooperation
