Cambodia’s Political and Foreign Policy Outlook After GE 2018
REGIONAL STRATEGIC AND POLITICAL STUDIES PROGRAMME SEMINAR
About the Seminar
Cambodia is a strategic state in the Mekong region due to a high level of engagement by major and middle powers in the country’s domestic politics and electoral process. The July 2018 general elections was one of the most controversial due to the absence of the main opposition party and international pressures and sanctions from some Western countries, particularly the United States and European Union. Nevertheless, the Cambodian ruling elites are confident that peace and development will continue, and robust reforms will be forthcoming. The pertinent question is how the Cambodian People’s Party, with seemingly enhanced legitimacy through its winning of all the 125 seats at the National Assembly, will deal with both domestic and external pressures, and implement its policy platforms and promises. The seminar will review key megatrends of Cambodian politics after the first general election in 1993, analyze key socio-political actors and factors that have shaped and will continue to influence the political landscape, discuss the political implications of the general election, and outline the foreign policy orientation of the new government.
About the Speaker
Vannarith Chheang has over ten years of work experience as a researcher, lecturer, policy analyst and advisor on regional issues in Southeast Asia. He has been involved in track-two diplomacy for ten years since he was appointed executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace in 2009. Prior to being a visiting fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Chheang served as Southeast Asia consultant at the Nippon Foundation, lecturer of Asia Pacific studies at the University of Leeds, and visiting fellow at various institutions including East West Center in Washington DC, Institute for Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) in Chiba, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing.
Registration
For registration, please fill in this form and email to iseasevents2@iseas.edu.sg by 29 August 2018.