The renewed fighting between Thailand and Cambodia is a reminder that ceasefires, when imposed rather than earned, rarely outlast the pressure that produced them. The truce pushed on to the two countries earlier this year offered a temporary lull, but not a settlement. It quietened artillery yet deepened resentment, and the relapse into hostilities was only a matter of time. What is unfolding along the border between the two countries is not a war over land so much as a war over legitimacy.

The terrain itself is insignificant ~ tiny, uninhabited pockets of scrub and stone. What matters is who gets to define the national narrative. For Thailand’s military, defending these slivers is a ritual affirmation of sovereignty, almost a sacred duty. For Cambodia, standing firm against a stronger neighbour serves both national pride and the political choreography of its leadership circle. The latest escalation,........

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