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

Tens of thousands of people sought refuge as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day Saturday, heightening fears of an extended conflict with the total death toll reaching 32.

The Southeast Asian neighbors, which share a disputed 500-mile frontier, have long fought over the sovereignty of a 1,000-year-old temple.