The Axis of the Republican Right

Measuring Success

Before the election Hun Sen was becoming increasingly nervous about US senators lobbying against him. The Prime Minister, a renowned chess player, knew exactly how to sacrifice a few pawns to avoid checkmate and moved to improve relations with Washington. Cambodia’s hosting of the Asean and Asean Regional Forum meetings in June provided Hun Sen with opportunities to curry favor with visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell. A week before Powell’s arrival, Cambodian police detained some alleged Muslim terrorists, signaling Phnom Penh’s support for the US war on international terrorism. In the course of the Hun Sen-Powell meeting, Cambodia agreed to exempt US citizens from being handed over to the world’s first permanent court set up to hear cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Ironically, it was only last April that Cambodia took pride in becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to ratify the establishment of the Rome-based International Criminal Court.

The IRI’s post-election verdict was that the "Cambodian election had fallen short of international standards." Dr Raul Jennar a Belgian political analyst currently working in Phnom Penh queried, "Which international standards are they referring to? If it is the international standard adhered to in Florida during the last US presidential election, then Cambodia comes out well ahead!" Jennar further complained that as election observers, "The IRI clearly does not meet international standards."

Tom Fawthrop is a regular contributor to The Irrawaddy.