| Abstract: |
Globalisation, the integration of previously dispersed communities and peoples, presents difficult challenges for developing countries. Although globalisation is having an impact on most nations, Cambodia is a post-conflict country coming to terms with the massive changes that accompany the phenomena. It is probably safe to say that Cambodia, since 1953, has undergone the most dramatic and turbulent period in its 1,200-year history. The country has traversed a landscape that saw independence, war, complete social, economic and political upheaval, invasion by a foreign power, an international transitional authority and now political stability. The problems in Cambodia are problems seen in many countries around the world and the political and economic challenges facing Cambodia provide an excellent opportunity for analysis and understanding. The following pages shall, metaphorically, shift the lens to focus on issues of poverty, law enforcement, and heritage at the national and the local level in Cambodia. Having considered the roots and manifestation of some of the problems facing this post-conflict nation, possible strategies for a solution to reducing the rampant destruction of heritage are presented. It is likely that the lessons that may be drawn from Cambodia may be applicable in other nations recovering from the trauma of war including Iraq and Afghanistan.
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