The Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict and Coup Rumors

After several days of intermittent fighting, Cambodia said April 26 that cease-fire negotiations with Thailand would begin soon. With contentious elections likely to be held in July, the Thai military may stand to gain by shifting the nation's focus to foreign threats, and yet Cambodia also may stand to gain by drawing international involvement to the dispute. While a full-scale war is highly unlikely, the Thai military establishment will not rest easy at least until elections have passed, nor will Cambodia want to squander its opportunity to take advantage of Thai politics, and thus the situation could become unpredictable.