Introduction
For a state to be categorized as strong, it needs to be sovereign. A sovereign state is a country that is free to follow its plans without depending on other countries. On the other hand, a weak state is a country that lacks economic, political, and social stability, hence, it’s unable to implement its strategies. The following paper examines if Cambodia is a strong or weak state.
Main text
Cambodia is a poor country since it cannot fund its budget expenditure from internal sources, making it necessary to borrow funds from other external bodies such as the IMF and World Bank. The country also overlies donor funding for various country’s projects such as medical health care. In addition, the first world countries, especially U.S. have imposed sanctions on Cambodia to force them to change their political systems.
The second way that external funding has affected the state is that it has encouraged corruption and reduced accountability. Money received from external sources is poorly managed, hence encouraging misappropriation. Finally, foreign aid has changed the country’s autonomy by increasing infighting for the control of the external resources.
Foreign aid provided to the country is not used for development, but to benefit key individuals in the state. United Nations and World Bank have provided a lot of funding for Cambodia to develop. However, there are a few improvements in the country compared to the amount of external financing. External funding provided does not in any way benefit the poor in the country, due to corruption.
Aid workers have portrayed the country as poor while they are among those who take advantage of grant activities. Rescue workers are either motivated by personal interest or professionalism in the sector. The high numbers of such workers in Cambodia have portrayed the country as a weak state that cannot provide for its citizens. Due to a lack of qualified aid workers locally, most non-governmental organizations are forced to hire staff from other nations.
The societal structure is dysfunctional due to previous civil wars that ended after the signing of the peace treaty. Cambodia’s society is volatile, deeply conflicted, and divided based on political affiliations. The country is controlled by an authoritarian ruler who dictates what the society can do and not do. A state’s neighbors are an important aspect when determining the strength of a country. If a country has peaceful and prosperous neighboring countries, then it is strong. Cambodia borders Vietnam, which is a volatile country that has had major civil war due to the difference in economic ideology. On the positive side, the country also borders Thailand, which is a relatively stable state.
The final factor that determines the strength and weaknesses of a state is its political system. For a country to be considered strong, it must have a mechanism that allows free and fair elections. It must also provide fundamental human rights for all. Although Cambodia is a multi-party democracy, in practice it is a dictatorial government since it is controlled by one party. However, as compared to the past state processes the country’s political system is improving since they have opened up several diplomatic offices to enhance foreign cooperation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cambodia is a weak state since most of its internal decisions are affected by external pressure. Donors dictate the economic path to follow since they determine the project that they can fund forcing the governmental institution to change their plans. Foreign support has increased corruption levels and reduced leaders’ accountability. Poor people in society do not benefit from the funding since the elites misappropriate the money for their selfish gain.