What does the Cambodian Senate presidency mean to a ruler who is already all powerful? Every politician, especially one whose chokehold over a country lasted nearly four decades, needs some time off. Hun Sen, who handed over the prime ministership of Cambodia to his eldest son last summer, has had his feet up for the past seven… Continue reading Vacation is over for Cambodian strongman Hun Sen
Washington ought to be doing more to attract the region’s best and brightest. It’s not something that any U.S. administration would make too much noise about for fear of inflaming its domestic audience, especially as it’s likely to be the biggest stick with which the Republicans will strike the Biden administration come November’s presidential elections.… Continue reading In Southeast Asia, the US Should Talk Loudly About Immigration
Making Hun Sen’s youngest son a deputy prime minister adds gravitas to the role at a time of thorny changes. It looks like Hun Many, the younger brother of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, wants more attention. Last August, his brother inherited the prime ministership from their father Hun Sen, who had been in the… Continue reading Cambodia’s Hun Many is no mere spare for his PM brother
Indonesia has pursued a pragmatic foreign policy for the past decade, but could that change after the presidential elections in February? The three candidates offer disparate diplomatic styles. Because Joko Widodo, the current president of Indonesia, cannot seek reelection due to term limits, the presidential elections on February 14 the race is between Anies Baswedan,… Continue reading Prospects for Indonesian Diplomatic Style Under a New President in the Post-Jokowi Era
The country’s government views the press as an adjunct of power. There’s a polite warning about throwing stones in glass houses. There’s a more impolite instruction to know the extent of one’s own ignorance. In perusing the Phnom Penh Post’s recent piece (“PM calls for ‘ethical fourth estate’,” January 23), one is compelled to scrutinize what emanated… Continue reading Aren’t Cambodia’s Journalists Tired Of Being Spoken Down To?
