From Gaza To Thailand-Cambodia, 2025 Conflicts Test Global, ASEAN Diplomacy

By Noor Bakhtiar Ahmad & Ahmad Idzwan Arzmi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- As 2025 draws to a close, a year marked by relentless conflict has seen wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the Middle East, and Myanmar, among others, claim countless lives, force millions from their homes, and devastate infrastructure, while peace talks continue to yield little progress.

Beyond these theatres, fighting has escalated in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this year, alongside heightened border tensions between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Taken together, these conflicts have reshaped regional power dynamics and strained an already overstretched global humanitarian system, raising fresh questions about the effectiveness of diplomacy and multilateral institutions.

Against this backdrop of mounting humanitarian crises and stalled peace efforts worldwide, University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Canberra's School of Humanities and Social Sciences Emeritus Professor, Prof Carlyle A Thayer, said the approach by United States (US) President Donald Trump’s administration in the Palestine-Israel conflict has escalated Gaza into a severe humanitarian emergency.

He said the policy, marked by strong military backing for Israel and the sidelining of United Nations (UN) channels, had upended years of diplomatic stalemate. It included support for Israel’s Gaza offensive, air defence against missiles from Iran, and strikes by the US on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“The US reinforced this muscular approach by aggressively lobbying Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to support President Trump’s 20-point peace plan,” Thayer told Bernama.

Thai-Cambodian tensions test ASEAN's role

While much of the world’s attention has focused on Gaza and Ukraine, Southeast Asia has not been immune, with ongoing border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia highlighting persistent challenges to regional stability.

National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) Faculty of Defence Studies and Management Lecturer, Prof Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam, said deadly armed clashes at the Thai-Cambodian border have proven a formidable challenge for ASEAN in its bid to maintain regional stability.

He said as ASEAN Chair, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has worked tirelessly to bring the two nations to the negotiation table, including to the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord in October that was also witnessed by Trump.

He acknowledged that the conflict between the two neighbours will take time to resolve, even with the various diplomatic efforts having been put in motion.

“The conflict has been going on for hundreds of years… To resolve it in a matter of two or three months  or a year is indeed difficult. It will take many more smaller meetings and diplomatic efforts,” he said.

Malaysia remains steadfast in Palestinian issue

Regarding the Palestinian issue, Mohd Mizan said from the times of Tunku Abdul Rahman to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia has consistently stood up for the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with humanitarian principles and the rejection of apartheid and genocide.

“We are utilising all available diplomatic platforms… We cannot attack Israel, and other countries that support Palestine are also doing the same,” he said.

Mohd Mizan argued that although the humanitarian flotilla received widespread support including from Europe, Turkiye, and the United Kingdom, the Middle East landscape with its escalating tensions have hampered diplomatic pressures on Israel.

“It is far from being effective and requires decisive actions against Israel,” he said, citing measures such as closures of embassies, declaring diplomats personae non-grata, and applying stronger pressures at the UN including suspending Israel's membership.

Shift in global stand towards Israel

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR) Head Geostrategist and Senior Fellow, Prof Dr Azmi Hassan, said Israel's atrocities in Gaza throughout 2025 have caused many Western nations that previously supported Tel Aviv unconditionally to modify their stands.

“If previously, Western nations unabashedly supported Israel, Israel's conduct in Gaza has caused these nations to now view Israel as a pariah in the international community,” he said.

Azmi said almost 157 nations now demand a two-state solution, reflecting a profound shift in global stand.

He however did not anticipate the Gaza conflict to grow into a conflagration involving Lebanon, Syria, or the Red Sea, as super powers are working to contain the conflict from becoming one similar to the Ukraine war.

2026 outlook: all eyes on Ukraine ceasefire

Looking ahead, University of Tasmania Professor of Asian Studies, Prof Dr James Chin, said that despite intense global focus on Gaza, the Ukraine conflict remains the primary strategic priority for major powers.

“The Ukraine conflict is still ongoing, so that is where most of the world's attention is located," he said.

Echoing this view, Thayer said Ukraine is likely to dominate diplomatic attention in 2026, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to compromise will severely test Trump’s patience.

He said Trump has shown little inclination to increase pressure on Putin through measures such as stepped up sanctions or greater military support for Ukraine, leaving European NATO members to shoulder much of the burden.

-- BERNAMA