Soft power politics seems don’t come along with co-operative plan and mutual assistance in rhetoric only, but by enforcing through memorandums, treaties or agreements.
Cambodia has empirically derailed from the wave of “soft power politics” of the world. She is likely lacking ability in responding to current flow of soft power which comes along with international relations, foreign trade, the guarding of its citizens, conflict resolution with its neighbors and proper reaction to foreign consistent cooporative policy.
Politically speaking, soft power politics refers to the politics of cooporation, not confrontation as modern nation-states seek to put aside all violent means by adopting peaceful diplomacy and mutual interests through economic, cultural and social cooporation. The procedures have practically done through the platform of dialogue regionally and globally. Michael Hsiao and Alan Yang posited in the Asia-Pacific Journal focusing on Japan that China has been more practical in spreading “soft power politics” to its neighbors and regions particularly the Southeast Asian nations. As this policy has tremendously renovated after the cold war, China has physically strengthened its relations with ASEAN states since the 1990s within all fields including foreign aid, trade, infrastructure, politics, culture, tourism and environment.
Geopolitically, Cambodia is a member among regional associations such as the ASEAN which has extended to ASEAN Plus Three (APT) when China, Japan and Korea are included and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) etc. But in its sub-regional cooporation, it appears intricate for Cambodia to be a member of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle. Cambodia is obligated to all procedures and co-operative frameworks to these sub-regional embodiments. Noticeably, many Cambodians are skeptical about Cambodia’s strength and intelligence to smoothly operate this unavoidable cooporative policy as well as the soft power innovation foreigners exposed.
Not many scholars or academic papers have deliberately detailed the “deficit” of Cambodia in handling with this impromptu skeptic. This article will singly look into the relationship Cambodia must undertake with its neighbors: Thailand and Vietnam.
The theme of border scheme has apparently displayed roadblock for Cambodia to utilize the international mediator like the UNs to solve the problem Thailand claimed its legitimacy over Khmer ancient ruin, the Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding. According to the press released by the UNs, Ban Ki-moon was ready to facilitate mediation between Cambodia and Thailand on the border issue if the UNs intervention was needed. According to The Nation Newspaper, Thailand had willingness to bilaterally talk with Cambodia rather than having the UN’s facilitation. On the other hand, Vietnam on behalf of incumbent Chair of ASEAN is ready to be the mediator for this conflict.
As the matter of fact, news frequently reported the jailing, killing and arresting many Cambodian illegal workers in Thailand including shot to death the Cambodian citizens along Cambodia-Thailand border by Thai army. Cambodian government seems has always kept low profile with all these irregular matters comparing to Thailand’s response to their citizens. This not include many Khmer ethnics scattering throughout South Eastern part of Thailand who have triumphantly reserved their Khmer language and identity, and until now they seems be forgotten by the Cambodian government.
In the meantime, Vietnam has leapfrogged its strength more than Thailand regarding its bilateral co-operation, mutual assistance and respect of each other with Cambodia. This driving force has ideally emerged since the struggle against the French colony in which Vietnamese leadership firmly promised to shoulder with Cambodia at all circumstances to fight against all common enemies. But the friendship significantly revitalized when thousands of Vietnamese soldiers crossed the border into Cambodia to drive away the Khmer Rouge, a notorious group blamed for their war crime against humanity. This has become a hot debate among Cambodian farmers, labors, students and intellectuals that this border crossing is the invasion or liberation. Hence, the Paris Peace Accord in 1991 backed by the UNs occurred and it solemnly stipulated in its mission chapter that all Vietnamese soldiers must withdraw from Cambodia without condition. This was also respecting to the major votes of permanent members of the UNs who couldn’t accept any justified invasion. Those stipulations tended to ensure sovereign integrity and the development of liberal democracy of Cambodia.
But after a coup detate in 1997 in fragmenting the FUNCIPEC from partnering in a coalition government, major parts of the government were likely refurbished, but not the blue uniform soldiers, it was instead the strengthening of lasting cooporative policy between Cambodia and Vietnam. In recent visit of Vietnamese top level visitor to Cambodia, Nguyen Minh Triet, the Vietnamese news agency reported that Vietnam and Cambodia should maintain frequent high-level visit exchanges to facilitate the expansion of multifaceted cooperation. The report affirmed the acknowledgment of their governments’ effort in implementing signed agreements effectively. Many Cambodians have antagonistically worried the treaties were not fair for Cambodia as Vietnam oversaw everything after its achievement in driving away the Khmer Rouge from the cities. However, those treaties were revived and enacted in 2005 as the supplemental border treaty.
Soft power politics seems don’t come along with co-operative plan and mutual assistance in rhetoric only, but by enforcing through memorandums, treaties or agreements.
Cambodia has numerous deficits in pursuing cooporative policy with Vietnam which includes trade, investment, productivity, human resource, direct investment and capitals. Voice of Vietnam (VOV) news stated that currently there are about 63 Vietnamese businesses operating in Cambodia totalizing capital of about US$900 million. It said “different investing areas are including telecommunications, finance and banking, air transport, agriculture, light industry, rubber and industrial tree planting, mining, energy and healthcare.” Nonetheless, the national icon like Angkor Watt has been invested by Vietnamese-born Cambodian company Sokimex, the proud Cambodian national air transport is franchised and likely supervised by the Vietnamese airline, the VIETEL is considered the largest telecommunication investor in Cambodia, and recently VOV opened its office in Cambodia to spread the radio channels with its current pilot project in Svay Rieng, Kampot and Preah Sihanouk. With this regard, we don’t see any Cambodian investor is investing in Vietnam.
During his visit, Triet also re-affirmed the embassy and other relevant organisations to closely take care the problem of legal status for Vietnamese people living in Cambodia as well as their security and well-being. He said he wish that the community would always unite, preserve Vietnamese traditional values and look towards their homeland. This mindset is very different from Cambodian leaders in turning eyes at their Khmer ethnics living in Southern Vietnam, the Khmer Kampuchea Krom people. Actually, the Khmer Kampuchea Krom people have been recognized and protected by the Cambodian constitution in Cambodia. But the news have always reported the negligence of Cambodian leaders in expressing sympathy and compassion towards those Khmer Kroms who are suffering inside Vietnam as well as the Khmer Kroms who are living in Cambodia.
After back home of Vietnamese leader Triet, two Khmer Kroms living in Takeo were arrested in the accuse of defaming Cambodian monarch and top leaders; Venerable Thach Preichea Koeun, the editor in chief of Prey Norkor Magazine has been interrogated by the abbot and confiscated his passport and identification by accusing of political misinforming in his publishing. But if you can read Cambodian language and take a little time to screen the magazine blog (http://www.preynokornews.blogspot.com/), you will see it has overwhelmingly covered the news of livelihood, geography and culture of brother Khmer Krom people and the activity of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation (KKF) which is the largest Khmer Krom organization in abroad.
Soft power politics requires comprehensive, patriotic, diligent and smart leaders to implement it. If not so, the practice of cooperation and mutual assistance with outsiders will inevitably reach a zero sum games or it simply means those virtual cooporations undergone at the expense of Cambodian interests in accordance to the Game Theory of social science.
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(Sophan Seng is a PhD Candidate of Political Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has spent his life as Buddhist monk in the monastery for more than 10 years before his pursuance of academic study. He has extensively worked to enhance youths engagement and community development in Cambodia and Cambodian diasporas community in Canada. He can be reached at sophan@hawaii.edu)
© Copyright by Sophan Seng
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