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Submitted
December 31, 2025
Accepted
July 29, 2026
Published
August 3, 2026
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Abstract

The paper draws on Amitav Acharya’s theoretical frameworks of norm localization and security communities to examine the Thailand-Cambodia conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple, one of the most enduring international relations cases in Southeast Asia. The research will fill an important gap in the scientific literature by discussing how the constructivist ideas of Acharya shed light on the process of regional norm adaptation, identity formation, and the complications that arise when the (ASEAN) is forced to deal with an intra-mural territorial conflict as a fledgling security community. The study was based on using a qualitative case study approach with a secondary source analysis of the International Court of Justice proceedings, diplomatic archives, scholarly literature, and media archives to prove that local actors in both Thailand and Cambodia actively localized international norms of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful dispute settlement in a manner that both facilitated and hindered resolving conflicts. As the results demonstrate, the Preah Vihear conflict revealed underlying tensions within the ASEAN normative structure, especially between the principle of non-interference and the organization’s goal of becoming a mature security community. The article also examines the significant roles of the ASEAN chairmanship of Malaysia under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and of United States President Donald Trump in mediating the crisis in 2025, focusing on the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, its failure, and the future of peaceful relations. The article leads to the study of International Relations by showing how Acharya’s framework can provide analytical resources for understanding norm-conflict in the Global South, while also criticizing Eurocentric approaches to norm diffusion and elucidating the role of peripheral actors in the formation of regional order.

Keywords

norm localisation security communities Preah Vihear dispute ASEAN Thailand-Cambodia relations

Article Details

Author Biographies

Shamsul Azri Mohd Radzi, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Shamsul Azri Mohammad Radzi is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, with a focus on political philosophy. He has written articles and published in various journals on global politics and leadership. In 2024, he represented Malaysia at the United Nations World Peace Summit in Bangkok. His academic interests focus on contemporary political thought, peace studies, and the dynamics of international relations.

Faridah Jaafar, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Faridah Ja'afar is a Senior Lecturer in the Distance Education Faculty at Universiti Sains Malaysia. She specializes in Malaysian foreign policy, international relations, and the role of the Prime Minister in shaping Malaysian diplomatic strategy. Dr. Faridah holds a Ph.D. in Malaysian History and Politics from the University of Malaya and has published numerous articles, books, and writings on the Malaysian political landscape. She actively teaches and oversees research in political science, with a focus on comparative foreign policy and leadership.

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