Hi, I'm Stacy, and I graduated from college in 2006. I am not condoning plagarism of any kind, but am putting my essays online to help with general writer's block. Learning by example is one of the most widely recognized methods of self instruction and effective tutoring. Feel free to read one of my essays to help you write your own! Donations are appreciated.

Cambodia has received billions of dollars in assistance from the international community; at roughly $400 million a year in international aid ("Rotten At the Core." Economist, 2005). For a small country like Cambodia --with a population just over 10 million citizens-- this amount is incredibly generous. Much of the money spent over the years has been applied to emergency relief, reconstruction, and development. Cambodia’s future relies heavily on the assistance provided by the international community, but will poor governance lead to more instability? Cambodia can rebuild itself and become a respectable member of the world community with time and more assistance.

In 2003, with almost all of the growth coming from the garment sector, inflation moderated from 3% in 2002 to an estimated average of 1.3% over 2003 (CIA, 2006). The national currency, the riel, is relatively stable but depreciating slightly against the US dollar, and can be used interchangeably with the dollar. Cambodia remains heavily reliant on foreign assistance –in 2001, 58% of the central government budget depended on donor assistance (CIA, 2006). Cambodia has had trouble attracting foreign direct investment, mostly due in part to the unreliable legal environment. New FDI levels fall steadily. The economy also has a poor track record in creating jobs in the formal sector, and the challenge will only become more daunting in the future since 60% of the population is under 20 years of age and large numbers of job seeks will begin to enter the work force each year over the next 10 years (CIA, 2006).

Cambodia has made gains. The country has established diplomatic relations with most countries, including the United States. The country is a member of most major international organizations, including the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1998. Cambodia is also a member of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Trade Organization.

Cambodia today still suffers from a long, tortured history. The country gained independence from France in 1953, and soon began the hard process of nation building. In the 1970s, the Pol Pot regime is responsible for the slaughter of 2 million Cambodians ("Bringing the Wicked to the Dock." Economist, 2006). The Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, and quickly dismantled all existing state institutions implementing a bizarrely misguided utopian experiment based a brutal system without money, economic markets, private property, or human rights ("Rotten At the Core." Economist, 2005). This reign of terror lasted until 1979, but the misery and suffering from this vicious experiment lives on (Kiernan, 1986).

One of the first priorities to jump start growth in Cambodia was simultaneously stimulating different economic sectors. Most of the efforts toward the renewal and rebuilding of Cambodia were coordinated through the International Committee on the Reconstruction of Cambodia (ICORC). The ICORC is made up of a variety of donor countries and international organizations. The principal donors are Japan, the United States, France, Sweden, and Australia. International organizations include the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (Sihanouk, 2002).

Cambodia is a particularly weak state and needs the international community to work with the government as partners, advisors, and friends. Cambodia’s political situation is too fragile and its economic system still very much instable. Sustainable political development can be supported from the international community through diplomacy and careful action encouraging democracy, human rights, and a free and independent judiciary in Cambodia. Local participation in decision-making, especially in the rural areas (feeling increasingly left out of the development process) must be encouraged. Currently there are no elected officials below the national level (commune elections have not yet been held) so there is little political legitimacy or democracy at the provincial, district, commune, or village levels. A bottom-up approach would greatly empower local community members while building up the capacity of the provincial government and giving legitimacy to the formal organs of the state. While mistakes will certainly be made, the project will be much more sustainable in the long term than a project implemented by an NGO that undermines the authority of the state.

An important area that must be strengthened is the support foreigner investors could give to local NGOs to grow and prosper. The capacity of local NGOs in Cambodia must be strengthened to greater emphasize the sustainable aspects of development (Corfield, 1994). It is not enough to simply employ Cambodians in existing international NGOs --although this is useful.

In terms of support for human rights outsiders must recognize that the people of developing countries, their organizations, and their governments play the central role and hold prime responsibility for achieving progress ("Globalisation with a Third-World Face." Economist, 2005). The fundamental principles of human rights are universal, but each society and each region crafts its own approach, drawing on its culture, history, and political economic traditions. The international community plays a critical but supporting role drawing on its own experiences. It should not attempt to export particular institutions or practices but rather seek to work carefully and sensitively with those in developing countries who are best placed to achieve positive change. At times this may mean working with the government rather than against it.

Cambodia has been the recipient of billions of dollars in assistance from the international community. While the amount of assistance may seem enormous to most international observers, most of the money spent over the years has been applied to emergency relief, not to development. While the process of rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development has been initiated, it will need to be sustained for at least a decade to come. Does the international community have the patience to endure another decade of international assistance to Cambodia? Most share the idea that current development cooperation must be reformed in order to ensure long-term goals. International development in Cambodia has matured to a degree that it is possible to discuss long-term goals with confidence. The task before us is therefore to commit to these long-term objectives in a cooperative and sustainable fashion so that Cambodia can rebuild itself and become a respectable member of the world community.

Bibliography

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