Following a major fallout after his attempted use of the trade leverage in reaching a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) stated that he was optimistic about brokering the peace deal between the Southeast Asian nations,

"The U.S. already flunked the test and that should be a wakeup call," a former senior U.S. State Department official told Newsweek.

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday (July 25) as their worst fighting in over a decade intensified and spread to new areas, despite international calls for a ceasefire.

As Cambodia-Thailand border tensions escalate, the crisis spotlights a groundbreaking trend: women military leaders at the forefront.