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Recalling hydraulic despotism: Hun Sen's Cambodia and the return of strict authoritarianism
[journal article]
Abstract Mirroring trends elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Cambodia has witnessed a pronounced shift towards stricter authoritarianism over recent years. The state appears more firmly ruled by prime minister Hun Sen than at any time during the past three decades, while the de facto status of the Cambodian People... view more
Mirroring trends elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Cambodia has witnessed a pronounced shift towards stricter authoritarianism over recent years. The state appears more firmly ruled by prime minister Hun Sen than at any time during the past three decades, while the de facto status of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) more closely resembles the single party regimes of neighboring states. One of the major tools of political control and expansion of authority employed by the hierarchical CPP network is the construction of major infrastructure projects, most notably hydropower dams and irrigation schemes. This article focuses attention on the hydraulic infrastructure aspects of exacting political authority and social control by the elite over the nation, drawing upon Wittfogelian perspectives for a conceptual framework. It maintains that Cambodia increasingly represents a modern variant of a hydraulic society, but primarily functions as a satellite hydraulic state of China. The growing influence of China over Cambodia’s hydraulic development has helped elevate Hun Sen to resemble a neo-classic hydraulic despot. Hydraulic society concepts help provide partial understanding of contemporary power relations and party-state ascendency, including the longevity and resilience of Hun Sen’s supremacy.... view less
Keywords
Cambodia; infrastructure; irrigation; political elite; social control; power; national state; government; ecology; authoritarianism; China
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Ecology, Environment
Free Keywords
Authoritarianism; Cambodia; Hun Sen; Hydraulic Society; Wittfogel; Political Ecology
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 69-89
Journal
ASEAS - Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies, 12 (2019) 1
ISSN
1999-253X
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0