The Cambodian Center for Regional Studies will organize a roundtable on “US Roles in Mediating the Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict: Implications on Cambodia-US Relations, which will be held on 15 January 2026, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at AmCam Exchange (Ground Floor). This event is collaboration with Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, with the supported by US Embassy in Phnom Penh.
This roundtable aims to discuss the significant roles of the US in mediating the current Cambodia-Thailand border conflict, particularly how the US can constructively leverage its immense influence in collaborating with ASEAN to ensure the effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord along with efforts to foster post-conflict recovery, which are crucial towards peace, reconciliation and normalization between Cambodia and Thailand. The discussion also deliberates the key implications of the US efforts in the context of renewed momentums to reset positively the Cambodia-US ties. Knowledgeable experts will be invited to share perspectives on these key topics.
Registration via: https://forms.gle/TwzbZxzyBUgNYfJq7
| Program | |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 AM | Registration |
| 9:00 – 9:05 | Welcoming Remarks by Mr. Him Raksmey, Executive Director, CCRS |
| 9:05 – 9:10 | Special Remarks by Mr. Andrew Leyva, Political and Economic Counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh |
| 9:10-10:50 | Roundtable Discussion Distinguished Panelists: 1. Amb. Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor, CCRS 2. Mr. Andrew Leyva, Political and Economic Counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh 3. Mr. Casey Barnett, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (AmCham) 4. Mr. Kevin Nauen, Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia Moderated by Mr. Him Rotha, Deputy Director, CCRS |
| 10:50 – 11:00 | Closing Remarks by Amb. Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor, CCRS |
| 11:00 AM | End of the Roundtable |
About Distinguished Role Players
Ambassador Pou Sothirak is a retired academic currently serving as the Distinguished Senior Advisor to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). He was the Executive Director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from May 2013 to August 2023. He was appointed as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia from September 2013 to January 2014. He was a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of the Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore from January 2009 to December 2012. He also served as Cambodian Ambassador to Japan from April 2005 to November 2008. He was elected Cambodian Member of Parliaments twice during the national general election in 1993 and 2003. He was appointed as Minister of Industry Mines and Energy of the Royal Government of Cambodia from 1993 to 1998. He has written extensively on various issues concerning the development of Cambodia and the region.
Mr. Casey Barnett is the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia. He is also the president and founder of CamEd Business. Casey is known for his Khmer language skills and is the only foreigner to ever pass the Cambodian National Tax Agent exam which is in Khmer language. He is an advisor to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on issues related to financial reporting, working closely with the Accounting and Auditing Regular of Cambodia (ACAR). Previously, he was a World Bank consultant in the area of public sector financial reporting, working closely with the General Department of the National Treasury. He is a CFA charterholder, a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Dartmouth College.
Prof. Kevin Nauen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies. He is the Dean of Social Sciences and International Relations at the Pannasastra University of Cambodia. He is also a lecturer on theories of international relations at the Royal Academy of Cambodia. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Southeast Asian Studies and holds an MA degree in government from the University of Essex, along with a BA degree with a double major in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Rochester. Since 2013 he has held the position of Senior Research Fellow at the Cambodian Institute of Cooperation and Peace, where he works on projects related to Responsibility to Protect, Security Sector Reform, and regional integration. He also serves as Associate Editor of the Insight research journal of the Royal University of Cambodia.
Mr. Andrew Leyva is a foreign service officer (FSO) with the U.S. Department of State currently serving as the Counselor for Political and Economic Section at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. Prior to Cambodia, he served at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City, covering peacekeeping operations and gender issues, and negotiating on these issues in the UN Security Council. In the first half of his New York tour, he served as the Special Assistant to the U.S. Representative to the UN. Andrew’s other assignments include Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. He served as an Army officer before joining the Foreign Service. LTC Leyva holds a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Government from Johns Hopkins University. He speaks Portuguese, Khmer, Malay, and Indonesian, and has limited proficiency in Spanish.
Mr. Him Rotha is currently the Deputy Director of the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). Prior to this, he was a researcher at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), and a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Institute of International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). He was also a researcher at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from 2019 to 2023. His research interests include Cambodia’s domestic and foreign affairs as well as political-security in Southeast Asia and beyond.
