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.