The Politics of Survival in Cambodia: National Security for Undemocratic Control

Abstract

Liberal democracy was introduced to Cambodia in the early 1990s, but has failed to consolidate. Over the past two decades, the Cambodian People's Party has dominated the political system, and yet its leaders remain insecure as they continue to consolidate power. The ruling party's political successes can be explained in terms of its leadership's ability to coopt and conspire with members of the economic and security elites, increasingly relying on the idea of national security as a strategy to justify its power consolidation. Global security politics also contributed to the development of Cambodia's hegemonic-party system.