ABSTRACT
According to peacebuilding theory, the introduction of democratic forms of governance, liberal economics and civil society, defined by Paris (2004) as the liberalization of the target states, should lay the groundwork for a sustainable peace within the targeted country. The expectation is that civil society associations should be able to help articulate community interests, teach people how to interact peacefully, and even while civil society is supposed to be apolitical it is also expected to act as a check on abuses by the state and the empowerment of local communities (David Chandler 1999: 111). The promotion of civil society is believed to contribute to the reduction of conflict within and between communities. In exploring one of the areas of tension between some NGOs and the state, this chapter seeks to understand whether the conflict is a result of the introduction of civil society to Cambodia or whether its expansion has ameliorated or resolved the underlying causes of conflict. In this way, peacebuilding is being held accountable to its own internal norms, a core component of immanent critique (Pearson and Salter 1999: 486).
