Mark Vong

Contact: vmlsd12(at)gmail.com

Research Fellow, University of Cape Town

Mun (Mark) Vong is a Research Fellow in the Democratizing the Developmental State Hub at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town. Mark’s research examines the political institutions, social dynamics and international behaviour of authoritarian regimes with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. His research has appeared in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of East Asian Studies and South East Asia Research. He is currently working on a book project on the role of ruling party youth wings in authoritarian stability in Cambodia and Malaysia. Mark received his PhD in Political Science from Griffith University, Australia.

Autocratic Backsliding in Cambodia: Causes and Prospects

Cambodia experienced autocratic backsliding following the dissolution of the main opposition party in 2017, transitioning from competitive authoritarianism to hegemonic authoritarianism. The political regression is worrisome given that Western governments have invested significantly in democracy promotion in the country since the early 1990s. It is, however, not entirely surprising in light of the global patterns of surging authoritarianism. This study explores the possibility of regime reversal in the country by addressing the central question: can competitive authoritarianism return to Cambodia? I will examine Cambodia’s hegemonic turn to understand why reform outcomes achieved in the political and societal arenas remain fragile in the face of authoritarian repression. Then, I will establish the conditions under which political liberalization can be expected to occur. The analysis will draw upon and critically engage with the Democracy through Strength theory. The main implication of this study is that strong authoritarian regimes in the contemporary era are unlikely to make the huge leap from authoritarianism to electoral democracy as in the East Asian cases during the Cold War.