Foreign Intervention and Regime Change in Cambodia: Towards Democracy? FROM THE PUBLISHER
This book contributes to the ongoing debate on the complex transition in weak states from war to peace and from authoritarianism to liberal democracy. The analysis assesses the impact of foreign intervention on Cambodia's state and societal structures during the period 1954-98. Three forms of intervention are discussed: competitive, cooperative, and co-optative. None of them contributed to the emergence of what is called a hurting balance of power - a necessary, if not sufficient, condition for democratic compromise and maturation; none has the capacity to allow democratization to emerge and mature in the immediate term. While competitive intervention perpetuated hegemonic instability, cooperative and co-optative intervention seemed to lead the country in the direction of illiberal democracy, in which greater hegemonic stability exists and may persist for some time.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Contributes to the ongoing debate on the transition from authoritarianism to liberal democracy, analyzing the impact of foreign intervention on Cambodia's state and societal structures during the period 1954-98. Examines competitive, cooperative, and co-optative forms of intervention, and argues that none of these has the capacity to allow democratization to emerge and mature in the immediate term. Includes b&w photos of recent events and key figures. The author is a Cambodian-born Canadian political scientist and teaches political science and international relations at Sophia University, Tokyo. Published in Singapore by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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