ABSTRACT

The Mekong rises in China, the putative new economic superpower of the 21st century, and then either passes through or acts as the boundary between Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This region has been troubled ever since 1945 (after the defeat and retreat of the Japanese) with almost endless wars, whether international or civil: first the nationalist wars against the French, then the devastating Vietnam War, which spilt over into Laos and Cambodia. Myanmar, Thailand and Laos make up the Golden Triangle of the opium trade, and Myanmar has suffered from non-stop wars between its hill tribes and the drug barons and the army, as well as being ruled by one of the most ruthless dictatorial regimes in the world. During the latter half of the 1970s Cambodia endured the calamities of the Pol Pot revolution and is still suffering from its effects. As a result of these and other calamities, development in the region has been held back, though Thailand has achieved the status of an “Asian Tiger” economy. The Mekong runs through all of these countries and offers huge potential for development.