Nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and the rise of flattery diplomacy

Cambodia's move to do so suggests countries see new opportunities to disarm and engage the U.S.

- Philip Wen

It may appear somewhat of a non sequitur at first glance: Cambodia, a country so closely aligned with Beijing that it is routinely written off by international observers as little more than a Chinese client state, has officially nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The Cambodian government's eagerness to flatter the Trump administration in general has provided one of the more striking talking points in terms of the diplomatic fallout from the five-day border conflict with Thailand and the ensuing negotiated ceasefire agreed on July 28.

Despite the ceasefire negotiations being held in Malaysia, the consistent advocacy and coordination of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as Asean chair, as well as the "active participation" of Chinese officials, the lion's share of Cambodia's praise and gratitude was reserved for President Donald Trump.

"In the name of the Cambodian people, we thank and praise the President, the President of peace," Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol told reporters in Phnom Penh on Aug 1. "We think we must request that President Donald Trump be given the award of the Nobel Peace Prize."

Days later, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced in a Facebook post that he had formally submitted a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee lauding his "extraordinary statesmanship" and "historic contributions in advancing world peace" both pertaining to Cambodia and beyond.

"This timely intervention, which averted a potentially devastating conflict, was vital in preventing a great loss of lives and paved the way towards the restoration of peace," he wrote in the letter.

While it is easy for most foreign policy observers to dismiss the move as another low-cost attempt to appeal to the U.S. President's ego, the jarring rise of the incidence of world leaders willing to publicly humble themselves in what is being termed "flattery diplomacy" begs the question whether it is worthwhile.