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The Political Ecology of Transition in Cambodia 1989–1999: War, Peace and Forest Exploitation

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  • Philippe Le Billon

Abstract

Over the last decade, forests have played an important role in the transition from war to peace in Cambodia. Forest exploitation financed the continuation of war beyond the Cold War and regional dynamics, yet it also stimulated co‐operation between conflicting parties. Timber represented a key stake in the rapacious transition from the (benign) socialism of the post‐Khmer Rouge period to (exclusionary) capitalism, thereby becoming the most politicized resource of a reconstruction process that has failed to be either as green or as democratic as the international community had hoped. This article explores the social networks and power politics shaping forest exploitation, with the aim of casting light on the politics of transition. It also scrutinizes the unintended consequences of the international community’s discourse of democracy, good governance, and sustainable development on forest access rights. The commodification of Cambodian forests is interpreted as a process of transforming nature into money through a political ecology of transition that legitimates an exclusionary form of capitalism.

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  • Philippe Le Billon, 2000. "The Political Ecology of Transition in Cambodia 1989–1999: War, Peace and Forest Exploitation," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 31(4), pages 785-805, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:31:y:2000:i:4:p:785-805
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-7660.00177
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    Cited by:

    1. Riggs, Rebecca Anne & Langston, James Douglas & Sayer, Jeffrey, 2018. "Incorporating governance into forest transition frameworks to understand and influence Cambodia's forest landscapes," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 19-27.
    2. Robin Biddulph, 2014. "Cambodia's Land Management and Administration Project," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-086, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Nhem, Sareth & Lee, Young Jin, 2019. "Using Q methodology to investigate the views of local experts on the sustainability of community-based forestry in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Janus, Thorsten, 2012. "Natural resource extraction and civil conflict," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 24-31.

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