In Cambodia today, it is common to meet a young professional who introduces themselves as “David”, “William” or “Jessica”, even though their ID card carries a beautiful, traditional Khmer name. To some, this feels like a loss of our national soul. To others, it is a survival skill. The truth lies somewhere in the middle: adopting a global nickname is not about forgetting who we are, it is about making sure the world can hear us. We live in an era of “Digital Transformation”. As a researcher, I see how Cambodia is becoming a key player in the Mekong Nexus.…
Author: Guest Writer
Cambodia has achieved meaningful economic progress over the past two decades. It has integrated into regional supply chains, expanded transport and energy infrastructure, modernised key elements of its legal framework, and positioned itself as a competitive destination for export-oriented manufacturing. The government has articulated a clear objective: diversify foreign direct investment (FDI) and attract higher-quality capital, including from the US. Yet US private investment remains modest compared with inflows from several neighbouring economies. The explanation is not market size alone. It is structural risk perception. For many US investors — particularly publicly listed corporations, institutional funds and compliance-regulated firms —…
In a world gripped by geopolitical tensions, where superpowers rattle sabres and ancient rivalries simmer, Cambodia stands as a luminous exception — a nation that chooses dialogue over dominance, law over force, and harmony over hegemony. As Prime Minister Hun Manet arrives in Washington, D.C., for the inaugural meeting of the US-led Board of Peace, and as the Kingdom strengthens its ties as a dialogue partner with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the message is unequivocal: Cambodia desires peace because it embodies peace. This is not empty rhetoric, but a principled stance rooted in history, enshrined in law and proven…
Cambodia’s approved foreign direct investment (FDI) declined by 37 per cent year-on-year, according to official figures from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC). Such a decline should not be reduced to a headline, nor dismissed as a routine fluctuation. It is a signal — and signals require careful interpretation. FDI does not fall for a single reason. Global interest rate tightening, slower Chinese outbound investment, supply chain restructuring and intensifying regional competition all influence capital allocation. Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia are upgrading infrastructure, strengthening regulatory systems and positioning themselves to capture higher-value manufacturing and digital investment. Yet…
Prime Minister Hun Manet’s participation in the US’ newly established “Board of Peace” should not be treated as a ceremonial diplomatic engagement. It is a signal — and perhaps one of the last strategic openings Cambodia has to recalibrate before regional and global conditions become less forgiving. Cambodia is entering a geopolitical era where neutrality is no longer automatically respected, where international law is increasingly optional for powerful states and where economic dependency can be weaponised as effectively as military force. In such a world, small states do not collapse because they are wrong. They collapse because they are isolated,…
The recent arrest and pre-trial detention of a journalist in Banteay Meanchey following his reporting on an alleged assault at a suspected scam compound raises important legal considerations. The matter is now before the courts and must be resolved strictly on the basis of evidence and applicable law. Judicial independence is a constitutional cornerstone and must be fully respected. At the same time, the case presents broader institutional questions about how criminal law should be applied when the conduct in question arises from journalistic reporting on matters of public concern. This is not a question of shielding anyone from lawful…
Countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are shifting into a higher gear in the global race for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. Several ASEAN member states (AMS) are moving beyond their traditional roles as importers or assemblers to become full-fledged vehicle producers. In early December 2025, Malaysia’s largest automaker, Perodua, unveiled its first domestically developed EV model, the QV-E. This milestone made Perodua the second national EV brand in ASEAN, following Viet Nam’s VinFast, which launched its locally produced VF e34 in late 2021. Indonesia, meanwhile, is following a pathway similar to Thailand’s, developing domestic EV manufacturing capacity…
One of the most painful realities for Cambodians is not only the violence itself, but the silence that surrounds it internationally. International media often treats Cambodia–Thailand conflict as a small border issue, unworthy of sustained attention. But for Cambodian citizens, the consequences have been massive, devastating and life changing. When global media refuses to look closely, it does not remain neutral — it indirectly allows suffering to be erased. Cambodian civilians have faced displacement, fear, and loss on a scale that the world has barely acknowledged. Homes were looted, infrastructure was destroyed and local economies were disrupted. Entire communities were…
A research team from the Hill Tribes Memory Community Center in Mondulkiri province visited a young family who were displaced twice from their home in Pongro village, Ampil commune, Ampil district, Oddar Meanchey province, by Thai military aggression. When the team arrived on the morning of February 1, Sida was looking after her newborn twins. Her husband was at his construction job in the village, where he earns 40,000 riels a day. When asked about her and her family’s health condition, Sida explained that the twins had just been discharged from the hospital after catching a cold due to extreme…
Thailand, as one of ASEAN’s founding members, bears a special responsibility to uphold the principles that created the organisation. When a member acts in ways that contradict these principles, it is not only a question of one country’s behaviour — it is a test of ASEAN’s credibility and moral authority. ASEAN was created in 1967, at a time when Southeast Asia was emerging from colonial rule but remained deeply vulnerable — divided by ideology, unsettled borders and the growing influence of external powers. War was not a distant memory; it was a lived reality. When the foreign ministers of Indonesia,…