Lest we forgot, President Mikhail Gorbachev was the Soviet leader who was the game changer in bringing an end to the Cambodian conflict. Southeast Asia owes him for giving peace a chance during the most turbulent time in this part of the world. The global media has widely credited him for ending the Cold War, opening up and giving more freedom in the Soviet Union, which was unfortunate as it also brought down the empire and led to the establishment of newly independent states.
During the 1980s, news about the Soviet Union often dominated the front pages of regional papers, mainly about the threats posed by communism. At the time, Moscow's relations with Indochina countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) were very tight-knit both in economic and security terms. The Cold War was fiercely fought and contested in the Southeast Asian theatre. Words and moves from Moscow in relation to Southeast Asia impacted the general situation in all areas.
