Introduction—Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: There’s Something Rotten in the State of Cambodia

Abstract

Neoliberalism has become the dominant political economic arrangement in our world today. Responding to the seemingly intractable reality of our time and in seeking to transform our outlook on the current state of affairs, Susan George (1999, np) quipped,

For the neoliberal, the market is so wise and so good that like God, the Invisible Hand can bring good out of apparent evil. Thus Thatcher once said in a speech, ‘It is our job to glory in inequality and see that talents and abilities are given vent and expression for the benefit of us all’. In other words, don’t worry about those who might be left behind in the competitive struggle. People are unequal by nature, but this is good because the contributions of the well-born, the best-educated, the toughest, will eventually benefit everyone.

Put differently, if proponents of neoliberal ideology are to be believed, the current moment signals a rising tide that lifts all boats toward a harmonious global village. Yet there is considerable room for skepticism, as embedded within such promises of utopia are the dystopian realities that exist in a number of countries, like Cambodia, where neoliberalization has not resulted in a movement toward peace, but in a profound and unmistakable encounter with violence. My favorite passage from the film I Walked With A Zombie (1943) seems to sum this up nicely: “Everything seems beautiful because you don’t understand.