By Junaid Qaiser
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would get the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan “solved very quickly,” calling Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir “great people.”
Addressing the border dispute on the sidelines of an Asean summit, Trump referred to it as “one of eight wars that my administration has ended in just eight months”. He made an immediate impact upon landing in Kuala Lumpur. Within hours of touching down in Kuala Lumpur, Trump joined Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in signing an expanded ceasefire agreement between the two Southeast Asian neighbors — a deal he personally helped broker after deadly border clashes earlier this year. The moment was equal parts ceremony and symbolism, blending diplomacy, showmanship, and strategic statecraft into what has become the hallmark of Trump’s presidency.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed him with a troupe of traditional dancers, Trump gamely joined in, waving American and Malaysian flags and moving to the rhythm. The White House quickly shared the moment online under the caption: “TRUMP DANCE — MALAYSIA VERSION.” Yet, behind the lighthearted optics lay serious statecraft. The expanded Thailand–Cambodia ceasefire — signed at the annual ASEAN Summit — marked the culmination of months of quiet diplomacy led by Washington and personally overseen by Trump.
Cambodia’s Hun Manet hailed it as a “historic day,” while Thailand’s Anutin Charnvirakul called the agreement “the building blocks for a lasting peace.” Standing alongside them, Trump declared, “My administration immediately began working to prevent the conflict from escalating. Everybody was sort of amazed that we got it done so quickly.” His remarks, made against a backdrop emblazoned with the words “Delivering Peace”, carried a familiar refrain: that American influence, when guided by purpose and backed by economic leverage, remains the world’s strongest guarantor of stability.
The roots of Sunday’s accord trace back to July, when border skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia left nearly fifty dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. At the time, Trump made urgent phone calls to both sides, warning that their trade talks with Washington would be suspended if the violence continued. Within 24 hours, the artillery fell silent. Over the weeks that followed, Trump dispatched envoys to facilitate dialogue, culminating in a ceasefire that has now evolved into a comprehensive peace framework — one that includes commitments to withdraw heavy weapons, conduct joint de-mining operations, and dismantle cross-border criminal networks.
Hun Manet, during the signing ceremony, credited Trump’s “decisive leadership” for making the deal possible. “No matter how complex a dispute may be, it must be resolved through peaceful means,” he said, echoing the ethos of Trump’s diplomatic doctrine. Thailand’s Anutin Charnvirakul, despite the recent passing of Thailand’s Queen Mother, attended the signing to underscore its importance. He described the truce as a chance to “reset our relationship and move toward prosperity.”
For Trump, the Southeast Asian peace initiative is not an isolated success but a continuation of a broader global strategy — one that U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz recently described as “the President’s peace agenda.” Waltz, speaking in New York, said, “People ask me all the time what my mission is as Ambassador. It’s simple — it’s President Trump’s peace agenda. He is the president of peace.” Waltz recalled Trump’s moment at the U.N. General Assembly when his teleprompter failed. “Any other leader would have melted,” Waltz said. “Not him. His convictions are clear. He just charged forward.”
That clarity defines Trump’s foreign policy. His peace doctrine is built not on abstract diplomacy but on direct dialogue and economic incentive — leveraging U.S. trade, investment, and influence as tools to encourage nations toward cooperation rather than conflict. Sunday’s peace deal came alongside new trade and minerals agreements between the United States, Thailand, and Cambodia — further proof that Trump views prosperity as both the reward and the foundation of peace. “We do business with countries that live in peace,” he said during the summit. “And business keeps countries from going to war.”
The Trump administration’s approach may lack the polished language of traditional diplomacy, but its results speak for themselves. From the Abraham Accords in the Middle East to recent de-escalations in South Asia, Trump’s method — often blunt, always personal — has delivered outcomes that eluded predecessors for decades. His belief that peace can be secured through strategic leverage rather than prolonged intervention is reshaping global expectations of American leadership.
As the ASEAN ceremony concluded, Cambodian officials confirmed that Trump’s efforts had earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination — an acknowledgment of how his pragmatic approach has begun to resonate beyond Washington. For many in the region, Trump’s visit symbolized a turning point: an American president actively engaged not through lectures or ultimatums, but through negotiation and mutual interest.
When Trump left the stage, waving to the crowd beneath banners reading “Delivering Peace,” it was more than political theater. It was the visual embodiment of a presidency that sees diplomacy not as restraint, but as action — and peace not as an abstract hope, but as a tangible achievement.
In an era defined by fractured alliances and simmering rivalries, Donald Trump’s ability to translate personality into policy has become his most potent diplomatic tool. Whether through trade, pressure, or persuasion, he has shown that peace — like business — is built on trust, timing, and the will to act.
And in Kuala Lumpur, the world once again saw that for Trump, peace is not just a promise — it’s a performance that delivers.
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