Aid donors' dilemma in Cambodia: To support or to withdraw?

By Jacques Jimeno11 February 2015

Sebastian Strangio, journalist and author of the book “Hun Sen’s Cambodia,” talks about the dilemma donors face when engaging the country.

Aid donors in Cambodia face a dilemma: Should they continue to support a country that has been failing to uphold democratic values or should they withdraw?

It’s a complex situation, Sebastian Strangio, journalist and author of the book “Hun Sen’s Cambodia,” said in this video interview with Devex reporting fellow Claire Luke.

While the Southeast Asian country “very purposely” maintains a façade of democracy, human rights atrocities continue to happen. Further, Cambodian President Hun Sen has been vocal about his ambivalence toward U.S. aid. He has realized, according to Strangio, that given the current U.S administration’s pivot to Asia, the world’s largest bilateral donor is still likely to seek Cambodia as an ally.

So how should donors deal with these types of regimes?

Watch the clip above to know more about Strangio’s thoughts on this dilemma, and to learn the about the extent of China’s involvement in Cambodia’s development and what it means for Western donors. In this clip, Strangio discusses aid, development and the peace process in Myanmar.

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About the author

Jacques Jimeno

Jacques is a copy editor and part of Devex’s content management team. Previously, he worked with the Philippine Department of Tourism and the World Wide Fund for Nature. He is currently taking his master’s degree in communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman.