‘Arab Spring’ Unlikely in Cambodia?

This month, Faine Greenwood published her latest article, “Sitting Pretty,” in the Southeast Asia Globe. The article addresses the current political situation in Cambodia and asks whether the incumbent regime has anything to fear. Its subline accurately captures its tone and substance by concluding, “observers say the leadership has little to fear.” I am one of those observers.

Since Greenwood was only able to use a small subset of comments made in our far-reaching interview, I wanted to provide the full interview responses below. I would love to hear if you agree or disagree with my perspective and those of other scholars, including Dr. Carl Thayer (UNSW@ADFA) and Joel Brinkley (“Cambodia’s Curse”). 

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Papua Needs Inclusive Policy Approach

Separatism in Papua is a complex issue with many underlying, interrelated causes. Geolocation, history, and identity (ethnicity/religion) all play an important role in the parties’ construction of the conflict. These are reinforced by another set of factors: political, economic, social and humanitarian grievances. The question is: which set of factors is more amenable to resolution and thereby affords a better opportunity to stabilize the conflict?

Full article available at Strategic Review: The Indonesian Journal Leadership, Policy, and World Affairs

Image Credit: David Jackmanson