US 'pivot' as bankrupt diplomacy

Sep 19, 2012
By George Amurao
Asia Times Online

During United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent regional tour, America's top diplomat acknowledged the crucial role economic aid will play in the US's "pivot" towards Asia. Despite that recognition, Clinton failed to present concrete plans for a significant boost in non-military aid to allies in Southeast Asia, underscoring the US's fiscal straits and future ability to project financial power.

As the US bids to recalibrate its foreign policy more towards Asia, the world's lone superpower faces the dual challenge of China's growing military muscle and stores of soft power accumulated through years of checkbook diplomacy in the region. Unless the US is able to match or exceed China's economic and financial sweeteners, its "pivot" policy will come under rising criticism for its emphasis on strategic affairs.

China owes much of its power and influence in the region to generous hand outs and a fast growing economy, both of which have propelled economic growth across much of Southeast Asia during the wider global slowdown. While recent confrontations with the Philippines and Vietnam over contested territories in the South China Sea have raised concerns about China's long term intentions, its growing economic clout in the region has so far helped to cap those anxieties.

Ambassador gives cash nod to KRT

Friday, 14 September 2012
Stuart White
The Phnom Penh Post

US ambasador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice Stephen Rapp re-emphasised America’s commitment to the Khmer Rouge tribunal in a press briefing at the Hotel le Royal yesterday.

Rapp, on his eighth visit to Cambodia, said the US Congress was considering a US$5 million pledge to shore up the 2012 finances of what Rapp referred to as “the most important trial in the world”.

“[The ECCC] sends the message that there will be a day of justice (sic!),” he said, calling attention to the impact of the trial to prevent future atrocities.

Lower Mekong Foreign Ministers Meet to Discuss US's Initiatives

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9vdt4RGko

Clinton announces $50M in aid for SE Asia

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, greets U.S. Embassy staff at the Le Royal hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Friday, July 13, 2012. Photo: Brendan Smialowski, Pool / AP

Thursday, July 12, 2012
BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press

PHNOM PEHN, Cambodia (AP) — The United States says it will provide five counties in Southeast Asia with $50 million over three years to assist them with health, education and environment programs.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the funding Friday in Cambodia.

Recipients of the aid are Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Clinton is finishing up a week of diplomacy in Asia. She meets later Friday with Myanmar's president and will introduce him to U.S. business leaders.

Clinton talks cash injections at ASEAN

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Phnom Penh yesterday. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post

Thursday, 12 July 2012
Cheang Sokha and David Boyle
The Phnom Penh Post

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday told delegates at the ASEAN Regional Forum her country would put “our money where our mouth is” with its regional development assistance, starting with a down payment she would announce in coming days.

Clinton said that under the Obama administration, Asia had become a strategic priority, but acknowledged the region wanted to see greater US engagement “across the board”.

“But you are particularly focused on areas where our presence at times has been underrated,” Clinton said, identifying economic interrogation and development as two areas she wanted to address.

“We have more investment in ASEAN than we have in China. That is a surprising fact to many people in our country,” Clinton noted.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: US Aid

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

How much is a seat at the UNSC? - Foreign Aid and Bribery at the UN

Dear All,

This may be of interest to the discussions on UNSC bid.

It's no coincidence that Cambodia bids for UNSC post now while big powers are jostling for influence and given the Cambodia's relations with all of them.

Conclusions from a working paper on benefits of UNSC posts (from google search) in the document attached.

V. Conclusion

Thus far, we have argued that non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council receive extra foreign aid from the United States and the United Nations, especially during years when the attention focused on the council is greatest. Our results suggest that council membership itself, and not simply some omitted variable, drives the aid increases. On average, the typical developing country serving on the council can anticipate an additional $16 million from the United States and $1 million from the United Nations. During important years, these numbers rise to $45 million from the United States and $8 million from the United Nations.

Finally, the U.N. finding may actually be further evidence of U.S. influence: UNICEF, an organization over which the United States has historically had great control, seems to be driving the increase in U.N. aid.

Ideally, a study of vote-buying in the United Nations would test for the ability of Security Council aid to influence actual voting. Unfortunately, this is difficult for two reasons. First, we cannot observe the counter-factual: how the country would have voted in the absence of vote-buying activity. Second, votes themselves are strategic. Agenda setters typically know, before putting a resolution up for a vote, the preferences of each member. Perhaps this is why most Security Council resolutions are passed unanimously, and why failed resolutions are rare—recall that the 2003 resolution to authorize the invasion of Iraq never actually came to a vote. Due to these identification problems, we believe that actual outlays of aid are the most trustworthy way to measure the presence of vote-buying in the Security Council. By providing extra aid to non-permanent members of the council, especially during years when council votes are especially important, agenda setters have implicitly revealed their faith in the Security Council’s relevance in world affairs.

V.

http://www.box.com/s/xczloo8zq670nhza8em1

US Provides Additional Flood Relief to Cambodia

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
Voice of America

The United States is providing nearly $1.5 million to Cambodia to address critical needs in drinking water, sanitation, agriculture and livelihoods in flood-ravaged areas.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh issued a statement Tuesday saying the aid will be supplied through the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

The money will go to relief organizations working in Cambodia, Save the Children and World Vision.

The embassy statement says the two organizations will reach close to 60,000 of the most vulnerable people in the next six months.

Trial In Cambodia: For The Sake Of The Victims

A Cambodian villager sits near human skulls recovered from debris in provincial Cambodia after government troops retook the village in 1973. The skeletal remains were those of civilians and soldiers killed by Khmer communist insurgents who captured the town during heavy fighting. (Photo: AP)

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal will begin hearings in the trial of the four most senior surviving members of the Khmer Rouge government.

10-25-2011

Voice of America

Editorials Reflecting the Views of the US Gov't

The charges against them include genocide, crimes against humanity, religious persecution, war crimes, torture, and murder.

In late October, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, or ECCC, a United Nations-backed court also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, has announced that it will begin the hearings in Case Number Two, a trial of the four most senior surviving members of the Khmer Rouge government.

Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia was governed by a Communist regime known as Democratic Kampuchea. Under the leadership of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan, the Khmer Rouge attempted to create a purely agrarian-based society by systematically slaughtering the intelligentsia and forcing much of the population into agricultural labor.

This experiment in social engineering cost the lives of almost 2 million Cambodians.

Both Pol Pot and Son Sen died in the late 1990s, but Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith, and Khieu Samphan are about to stand before a court. The charges against them include genocide, crimes against humanity, religious persecution, war crimes, torture, and murder.

US, China Donate Flood Aid to Cambodia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPyD5O6B0o

U.S. Announces Contribution to Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Office of War Crimes Issues (US Dept. of State)
October 14, 2011
Source: http://www.state.gov/s/wci/us_releases/other/175540.htm

Stephen J. Rapp, U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, announced today the delivery of $1.65 million to support the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. This is the first of three installments of a projected contribution of $5 million for the current fiscal year to fund the international portion of the tribunal's staff and operations.

This donation comes as the ECCC begins the trial of its Case 002 in which the most senior surviving members of the Khmer Rouge government stand accused of crimes that resulted in the deaths of 1.9 million people between 1975 and 1979. "Given the gravity of the alleged crimes and the level of defendants, this is now the most important trial in the world," said Ambassador Rapp.

The ECCC Trial Chamber began hearings on legal and procedural issues in the trial of Case 002 in June 2011. It is expected to begin hearing witness testimony in November 2011. In July 2010 it rendered judgment in Case 001, finding Kaing Guek Eav, a/k/a Duch, guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Among other crimes for which he was convicted, Duch acknowledged involvement in the executions of over 12,000 prisoners. Both Duch and the prosecution have appealed the trial judgment and the Supreme Court Chamber is expected to render its decision in December 2011. The International Co-Prosecutor has requested investigations of five additional suspects, and proceedings in these matters, known as Cases 003 and 004, are before the Co-Investigative Judges and Pre-Trial Chamber.

US Assists With Nuclear Scanner at Coastal Port

Another type of scanner used in US airport (Photo: CNN)

Monday, 12 September 2011
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

The aim is to prevent nuclear or radioactive materials from “falling into the hands of terrorists,” the agency said.

The US National Nuclear Security Administration is helping Cambodia install a scanning system in the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk that will help prevent the smuggling of nuclear materials, officials said Monday.

Eight port and customs officials are currently being trained on the use of the scanner, which will examine all import and export goods passing through the Port of Sihanoukville, said Lu Kim Chhun, director-general of the port.

“With the specialized equipment provided by NNSA, Cambodia now has the capacity to scan 100 percent of all import and export containers passing through the port for the presence of potentially dangerous nuclear and other radioactive materials,” the US agency said in a statement.

U.S. Assistance to Mekong Region Aimed at Preventing Cross Border Conflict

People fish on wooden boats on the Mekong River in Phnom Penh August 19, 2010. More than 60 million people live in the Lower Mekong Basin, an area of more than 600,000 square kilometers. It is the world's largest inland fishery. (Photo: Reuters)

Thursday, 04 August 2011
Brian​ Padden​, VOA | Jakarta

"[...] I think it is clearly the case that the world, not just the region, the world recognizes the need for all of us to work together to address these border-less problems."

Although the dispute about conflicting claims in the South China Sea took center stage at the recent ASEAN security forum, U.S. officials also focused on addressing another potential conflict relating to Asia's growing energy needs. The Mekong River and its tributaries sustain tens of millions of people in Southeast Asia, but the river is also the site of several controversial new hydropower projects.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to the recent security forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bali to say the United States intends to remain engaged in the political and economic development of the region. As part of that effort, she talked about how Washington is fostering responsible development through a $221 million U.S. assistance program in the Lower Mekong River Basin.

The money will used to fund education, environment, health and infrastructure programs in underdeveloped areas in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

US, local forces provide aid to Cambodians

Hundreds of Cambodians stand outside the gate to Chumkiri Secondary School waiting for a chance to seek medical aid, many for the first time, from medical personnel with 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces during a combined Medical Civil Action Program June 17 through 19 at Chumkiri Secondary School, Kampot Province, Kingdom of Cambodia.

6/24/2011
By Cpl. Kentavist P. Brackin
Marine Corps Bases Japan

KAMPOT PROVINCE, Kingdom of Cambodia — More than 40 Marines and sailors from 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, provided medical and dental aid to more than 2,700 Cambodian citizens during the combined Medical Civic Action Program at the Chumkiri Secondary School here June 17-19.

The program is part of the Cambodia Interoperability Program 2011, a frequently-held exercise between the U.S. and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces that allows both nations to conduct medical and dental operations, improve interoperability by working together and fosters goodwill to ensure regional peace and stability.

“The mission was to build interoperability by providing aid to the people of Cambodia; so I believe all will consider this phase of our mission a success,” said Navy Lt. Jeff C. Hertz, officer-in-charge of operations for 3rd Med. Bn.

America’s Journeys With Strongmen

PARTNERS Sept. 1 in the Oval Office. (Drew Angerer/The New York Times)

Obama shaking hands with Strongman Hun Xen

February 5, 2011
By SCOTT SHANE
The New York Times

WASHINGTON — If the United States is, as so many presidents have said in so many speeches, the world’s pre-eminent champion of democracy, then why does the drama unfolding in Cairo seem so familiar?

A Washington-friendly dictator, propped up for decades by lavish American aid as he oversees a regime noted for brutality, corruption and stagnation, finally faces the wrath of his people. An American administration struggles over what to say, what to do and what to expect if the strongman is toppled.

The agony of Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt raises again the question of whether such a pattern can ever be broken. More than mere misjudgment or duplicity is behind it; the embrace of dictators has been so frequent over the last half-century that it obviously results from hard-headed calculation.

The US Loses Out to China in Cambodia

Wednesday, 10 November 2010
By Sam Campbell
Asia Sentinel

Beijing offer of no-strings aid to a corrupt administration pays off

Hillary Clinton's two-day visit to Cambodia Oct 30-Nov 1 could be seen as touching base with an old ally and building links with a future partner. But under the surface a battle for influence is being waged between the US and China in Cambodia, a fight Uncle Sam is unlikely to win.

Cambodia is unique in its dependency on aid, something that countries wanting to influence the kingdom have capitalized on. Since the 1992-3 era of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, literally billions of aid dollars have flowed into Cambodia. Donors in June pledged US$1.1 billion for the coming year, up from last year's pledge of US$950 million.

Cambodia has been happy to receive aid, for the most part–basic services like health care and education are still reliant on donor funds, yet schools and hospitals routinely bear the name of high-ranking Cambodians who are happy to take the credit for Cambodia's rapid development (the head of the Cambodian Red Cross, Hun Sen's formidable wife Bun Rany, is a good example)

The US has been one of the main players in the aid game, both through small NGOs and the US Agency for International Development, which funds a wide range of democracy and governance activities.

Yet rights issues, governance, and in particular corruption, remain pressing problems, and some question how much improvement has been made. Attempts to chastise Cambodia over the snail's pace of reforms have ended badly – US ambassador Carol Rodley was blasted last year for remarking that corruption costs Cambodia US$500 million annually, just one of many Western critics slapped down by the Cambodian government.

As regards aid, the contrast between Washington's (and the West's) blustering moralizing and Beijing's circumspect mercantilism is striking.

Whereas Western aid comes with often-unpalatable conditions or aims, China has spent prolifically on high-profile, 'no-strings-attached' items like bridges, roads and dams, or has simply doled out cash. The imposing US$49 million Council of Ministers (Cambodian cabinet) building in central Phnom Penh is a notable example of recent Chinese largesse. Loans associated with these comparatively low-cost infrastructure projects can also be cancelled upon maturity, earning China further plaudits.

To Cambodian leaders perched high atop teetering patronage networks, efforts to promote transparency and accountability can look like attempts to undermine support and stability. By contrast, few risks are associated with infrastructure.

US military assistance has been much more warmly received, both for the concrete items donated and for the opportunity to posture with the world's mightiest military, the latter motivation not to be underestimated in a country whose history is littered with bitter civil wars and brutal occupations. The ongoing standoff with Thailand, a country with far more modern military than Cambodia, has brought military affairs again to the forefront in Cambodia–the 2010 budget raised military spending by 23 percent.

But even US military aid is subject to conditions, as Cambodia found on April 1, when the US said it had halted shipments of surplus military vehicles to Cambodia in retaliation for the decision last December to deport 20 Uighur asylum seekers back to China. A shipment of 200 military trucks and trailers was suspended as a consequence of Cambodia's decision.

The Uighur deportation, which provoked sharp criticism from both international and local human rights groups, is a good example of the lengths Cambodia will go to please Beijing.

The US said Cambodian authorities had ignored appeals from Hillary Clinton on the Uighurs. Washington said the suspension was an appropriate response to Cambodia's "failure to live up to their international obligations." However, the measures were hardly draconian; around US$60 million worth of non-military aid remained unaffected, the US embassy confirmed.

China's gift of 257 brand new military trucks and 50,000 uniforms to the Cambodian military, announced May 2, seems aimed at sending a message to the US. Where the US sends used surplus vehicles to Cambodia, China is willing to send a greater number of new vehicles, and uniforms in addition. The aid was said to be worth US$14 million.

Cambodia's veteran Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said China's President Hu Jintao has promised more military assistance in the future. Hor Namhong said that Cambodia "did not ask" China for the military aid, but added that the Chinese "know our requirements, and promised to provide further military assistance in the future."

Cambodia is China's "good neighbor, friend and partner," China's Defense Minister Liang Guanglie told Pol Saroeun, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), in Cambodia May 11.

China's choice to compete with at the US in military aid is informative. US military aid cannot go to foreign military units if the US government believes they have enjoyed impunity after committing human rights violations–just the kind of meddling Cambodia abhors. China, of course, is bound by no such niceties.

China has more recently chosen another symbolic gift to Cambodia: forgiving the 2010 Cambodian debt repayment, a move worth US$4.24 million. Significantly, the Nov 4 Chinese debt agreement came just after Hillary Clinton said the US would reopen talks on US$445 million owed to the US by Cambodia. Cambodian officials have grown impatient with the US on the debt, though they dare not risk the harsh consequences of defaulting.

US influence, then, is progressive falling further behind China's in Cambodia. On the same day the Chinese debt forgiveness was inked, Chinese officials also put pen to paper on 16 infrastructure deals–you guessed it; big ticket items like roads, bridges and railways (detailed information was not released) said to be worth US$1.6 billion. US foreign assistance to Cambodia this year totals around US$70 million.

Perhaps the US should be happy to accept a lesser role in Cambodia as, after all, US and Chinese interests and aims in Cambodia differ. While the US wants a strategic ally to counter Chinese influence, China is mostly looking to secure oil, minerals, energy, and agribusiness commodities.

The US and Cambodia celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties this year. But that pales in comparison to the many centuries China has maintained official diplomatic relations with Cambodia.

In more recent times, China has sought to limit other countries' influence in Cambodia by patronizing a succession of Cambodian strongmen, from ex-King Norodom Sihanouk in the 1960s, the murderous Democratic Kampuchea regime (the 'Khmer Rouge') leader Pol Pot 1975-78, and since the waning of Vietnamese influence in Cambodia, Hun Sen.

Cambodia is currently one of China's closest friends in Southeast Asia, second only to Burma, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has described China as Cambodia's "most trustworthy friend." US officials probably should consider what that role involves and whether they really want to play it.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Deal or Debt?

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Cambodia, the new friend of the axis of evil "Iran"

Iran sanctions: Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong speaks during a news conference in Phnom Penh August 6. 'To impose sanctions against Iran is not a solution,' Hor told reporters Aug. 16 in Phnom Penh, days after his meeting in Tehran with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chor Sokunthea/Reuters

As Iran sanctions threaten, Iran sees new friend in Cambodia

Leaders from Iran and Cambodia met this month in their most senior exchange to date. Some say it is a sign that Iran sanctions are pushing Tehran to develop new trade partners.

August 26, 2010
By Stephen Kurczy, Staff writer
The Christian Science Monitor

Iran seems to have found a new friend in the unlikeliest of places: Cambodia. Tehran hosted a high-level delegation from the Southeast Asian nation earlier this month to discuss bilateral trade and mutual dislike of American "interference."

It's the latest sign that the Islamic republic is seeking out new partners – no matter how small – in the face of increased sanctions.

"There is no doubt that Iran’s growing isolation, resulting from the force of UN sanctions, is behind Iran’s push to improve relations with Cambodia and other willing states," says Alon Ben-Meir of the Center for Global Affairs at New York University. "The sanctions against Iran are having a serious effect. For this reason, Iran at this juncture will trade with any country it may find. Cambodia happened to be an easy target because of its energy vulnerability."

In June, the United Nations, European Union, and United States all passed sanctions in an effort to target Iran's uranium-enrichment program.

"To impose sanctions against Iran is not a solution," Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters Aug. 16 in Phnom Penh, days after his meeting in Tehran with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mr. Hor advised "negotiations and engagement" instead.

Iran offers trade, technology

The two countries established formal relations in 1992 as Cambodia emerged from civil war, but Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith says this is the most senior bilateral exchange to date.

"Iran requested to have a diplomatic relation with Cambodia. We don't see any objection to that," says Mr. Khieu, who is also the minister of Information. "Our policy toward Middle Eastern countries is to sell more of our products, mainly agricultural, and try to get more knowledge on oil management."

The summit touched on trade, investment, tourism, and oil, which is notable in light of Cambodia's hopes to tap recently discovered offshore oil reserves. After years of exploration and speculation – from international firms such as Total and Chevron – oil production is projected to begin in 2012. Then, in mid-August, a top Cambodian official told Nikkei news agency that Cambodia is looking into nuclear technology and hopes to build its first nuclear power plant as early as 2020.

President Ahmadinejad "voiced readiness to share Iran's experiences with Cambodia in various fields of agriculture, science, technology, and research," according to Fars News Agency. The two sides agreed to establish a joint economic commission to explore opportunities, according to The Tehran Times.

Shared dislike of American 'interference'

They also found common ground in rejecting pressure from the US. “My country has always been opposed to the interference of the United States in other countries’ internal affairs," Hor said, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Economic ties remain minimal between Iran and Cambodia. The two countries’ trade value during the past Iranian calendar year (ending March 20, 2010) stood at $539,000, according to The Tehran Times. In the three months prior to June 21, Iran exported $120,000 and imported $66,000 to and from Cambodia.

Even more than a new economic partner, Iran is apparently looking to Cambodia as a conduit to reach greater Southeast Asia through the 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). "Cambodia can play a key role in connecting Iran and the association," Iran's Accredited Ambassador to Cambodia Seyed Javad Qavam Shahidi told the FARS news agency after Hor's visit.

Web of geopolitics

In the complex web of geopolitics, it makes sense that Iran would warm relations with Cambodia, says British historian Philip Short. China woos Cambodia and Burma as counterweights to regional power India, while also wooing Iran and Pakistan as counterweights to longtime rival Russia, he says.

"So, for Cambodia and Iran – both Beijing’s good friends – to get cozy isn't a surprise at all. In fact, one wonders why it didn’t happen earlier," says Mr. Short, author of the Khmer Rouge history "Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare" and the biography "Mao: A life."

"For Cambodia there’s an obvious economic interest," continues Short. "And for Iran, which is still pretty isolated, the more diplomatic support it can garner the better."

China has invested millions in infrastructure projects in Cambodia. In December 2009, Beijing pledged $1.2 billion in aid and soft loans. That made China a bigger benefactor to Cambodia than all other countries combined. In July, international donors pledged $1.1 billion in annual aid to Cambodia, which was still the most ever from them. "China is Cambodia’s best buddy," says Short.

But Cambodia has also been courted avidly by Washington in recent years. In July, US soldiers participated in a peacekeeping exercise with troops from 23 Asia Pacific nations as part of the US-run 2010 Global Peace Operations Initiative. Washington and Beijing have long competed for influence in the region, with China supporting the Khmer Rouge insurgency against a US-backed government of the 1970s.

No warning from Washington?

Cambodia's business community appears unfazed by the country's newfound friendship with Iran.

"If Iran wishes to offer any material support to Cambodia, why shouldn’t they accept it? Cambodia is a neutral country with a lot of needs, and welcomes all the help it can get," says Douglas Clayton, CEO of the private equity fund Leopard Capital, which has attracted international investors to a $34 million multisector equity fund in Cambodian businesses.

A spokesperson from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh says that Washington urges "all UN Member States, including Cambodia, to fulfill the objectives of UNSCR 1929 (United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929) by meeting not only their mandatory minimum obligations but also by applying accompanying measures." UNSCR 1929 was passed in June to target Iran's nuclear enrichment program.

While Cambodia's government spokesman says that Phnom Penh has not been warned against developing ties with Iran, Professor Ben-Meir of New York University suspects the US may have dropped a hint to Cambodia against getting too close.

"Soon Cambodia itself will begin to feel the pressure from the international community to stop trading with Iran," he says. "Cambodia therefore will continue to play a balancing act, swaying from which side it is getting the greater benefit. For this reason, the United States and the EU will have to come up with some aid to Cambodia if they wish to distance Cambodia from Iran."

Utah, Cambodian Soldiers guard children's safety

Jul 27, 2010
By Capt. Choli Ence, 128th MPAD, UTNG
www.Army.mil (USA)

Story Highlights

• Utah National Guard Soldiers worked alongside Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Soldiers to complete construction of a local school
• The school-building project broke ground April 4
• Prior to construction of this school, many of the local children had to cross a busy two-lane road to get to school
• Many of the local school children have frequented the construction site

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia -- Utah National Guard Soldiers from the 197th Special Troops Company (Airborne) worked alongside Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Soldiers to complete construction of a local school during the humanitarian and civic assistance project for Angkor Sentinel 2010 here, July 12 - 30.

The Global Peace Operations Initiative, Angkor Sentinel 2010, co-sponsored by U.S. Army, Pacific, is a multi-national program and is the latest in a continuing series of regional exercises designed to promote peacekeeping capabilities of securities forces in both Cambodia and other countries. It has included a command-post exercise, a field-training exercise, and an HCA project.

The school-building project broke ground April 4 with the majority of the U.S. Soldiers arriving in Cambodia to assist with the construction on June 12.

Lt. Col. Holly Ottesen, operations officer with the 97th Troop Command said, "This is the first exercise that we as the 97th TC have participated in where we have been able to do a HCA project in conjunction with the exercise."

According to 1st Lt. Thomas Ashton, platoon leader of the base support platoon, 197th STC (Airborne), the school was designed by the RCAF in consultation with local education officials and contains three classrooms that will hold up to 120 students along with a separate building for restrooms.

The project has not been without its share of growing pains as both the Americans and Cambodians learned to adapt to each others different construction methods.

"We come in with our American know-how and it doesn't necessarily fit in with their Cambodian way of building structures," said Ashton.

Both the U.S. and RCAF Soldiers are working tirelessly together, however, to have the school completed by the dedication ceremony scheduled for July 29.

The U.S. and RCAF Soldiers were also assisted by Navy Seabees who were in the area drilling wells.

Prior to the construction of this school, the nearest school, Makara 7, required many of the local school children to cross a busy two-lane road.

Throughout the construction of the school, many of the local school children have frequented the construction site.

Ashton said that the best part of being involved in the HCA project is becoming a member of the community. "It's cool that the kids we know now have a school in their neighborhood and they don't have to go and risk their lives to go to school."

Spc. Paul Morrison, a supply logistical specialist with the 197th STC (Airborne) agreed, "These kids come out every day and seeing the smile of their faces is very rewarding."

US announces climate change help for Mekong region

Friday, July 23, 2010
AFP

HANOI — The United States on Thursday announced a three-year programme to help countries in the Mekong River basin adapt to the impact of climate change on water resources, food security and livelihoods.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the pledge at a Hanoi meet with Southeast Asian countries of the lower Mekong region, whose waterway is also under threat from rapid economic development and expanding populations.

"Managing this resource and defending it against threats like climate change and infectious disease is a transnational challenge," she told the foreign ministers of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

"Regional cooperation is essential to meeting that challenge, to preserving the ecological diversity and fertility of the Mekong region."

The meeting was the first between the five ministers since they launched the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) in Thailand a year ago to develop cooperation on environment, health, education and infrastructure issues in the Mekong region.

The initiative was seen as an attempt by Washington to improve its profile in the region and counter the influence of China, which is home to the upper reaches of the Mekong.

The United States has said it will spend more than 187 million dollars this year under the initiative, the majority of which is directed at health issues.

Low-lying areas around the Mekong, which have been beset by drought this year, are considered some of the world's most vulnerable to climate change.

More than 60 million people rely in some way on the river, which is the world's largest inland fishery.

The intergovernmental Mekong River Commission has warned that the basin's health and the river's eco-systems could be threatened by proposed dams and expanding populations.

China has eight planned or existing dams on the Mekong River, but rejects activists' claims that these have contributed to low water levels downstream.

Japan also held a meeting with the Mekong countries in Hanoi on Wednesday to discuss a joint "Green Mekong" initiative for the next decade, which aims to tackle challenges such as natural disasters and deforestation.