Brycen Waters Professor Petra Hejnova Comparative Government May 9, 2012 TA Research Paper

Comparative Government and Public Policy Research Paper

For the conclusion of my Teaching Assistantship in Comparative Government and Public Policy, this research paper will be a comparison of two very similar countries. This comparison will encompass and discuss similarities and differences in general facts such as history, geography, demographics, along with similarities and differences in regime and state along with the economic systems of these two countries. The two countries that I will be comparing are the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) and the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Laos). These countries were chosen because of their obvious similarities in governmental system along with the differences they have in historical foundings and origins. A goal of this research paper will be to show that despite their relatively close proximity to each other and similar governmental systems, these countries followed different historical paths which helped to create a separate identity for them. First, general facts such as geography, demographics, and history will be discussed for the country Laos. Laos is located in Southwest Asia at the geographic location 18 00 N, 105 00 E and in size it is relatively the same size as the state of Utah. The bordering countries are Vietnam to the East, Thailand to the West, Cambodia to the South, and China to the North.1 Laos struggles with being a landlocked country with virtually no access to ocean water ports. Along with this, the country is extremely mountainous and thickly forested and has a heavy monsoon season which has served as a major challenge throughout most of its history. Laos has a population of 6,586,266 people making it the 103rd largest country in population in the world. This country is also relatively diverse in terms of ethnicity. The population is 55% of Lao, 11% Khmou, 8% Hmong, and 26% other ethnicities.2 There are also over 100 other minor ethnic groups that make up the population of Laos. With approximately
1 2

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012)

seven million people, the age breakdown is not nearly as impressive. 36.7% of the population is between the ages zero and fourteen, 59.6% is between the ages fifteen and sixty-four, and 3.7% is sixty-five years and older and there is a median age of 21 years. Those are not very impressive statistics considering the United States median age for the entire country is around thirty-six years old. Lao is the official language in Laos, which is a tonal language of the Tai linguistic group; however, English and French are also spoken here. This can be attributed to the colonial past of Southeast Asia, in which Laos was primarily dominated by French colonialism. Finally, in terms of religion, this population is about 67% Buddhist, 1.5% Christian, and 31.5% identify with some other form of religion.3 This is typical of most Southeast Asian countries because in this area of the world, Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Jainism flourish where Christianity was never as prevalent. Laos has a very complex and ancient history, with the first signs of nomadic hunters and gathers dating as far back as 40,000 years ago. For most of antiquity, this area of Southeast Asia had little civilization forming. It wasnt really until the seventh to eighth centuries CE did townships start forming around the Mekong River and the formation of a unified state was not until the fourteenth century.4 Under the leadership of King Fa Ngum, Laos experienced a golden age where it became a powerful and wealthy kingdom. During this time, Laos had under its control much of present day Thailand along with the majority of present day Laos. In the sixteenth century, Buddhism was officially established as the dominant religion for the Lao people. Starting in the late eighteenth century, the golden age in Laoss history started a slow decline which was marked by dynastic struggles and conflicts with their neighbors. The
3 4

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("Bac k ground Not e: La os" Jan ua ry 19 ,2012 )

eighteenth century ushered in an era of Thai rule over much of present day Laos along with the emergence of French colonialism in Southeast Asia. Later, the Franco-Siamese treaty of 1907 defined the present Lao boundary with Thailand.5 During World War II, Japan controlled the French possessions in Southeast Asia, which was short lived, lasting up until the Japanese surrender. It seemed likely and hopefully for many of the Lao people that Independence from the French rule would occur towards the end of the 1940s. This movement was also another short lived experience for the Lao people because in 1946 the French reoccupied their former colonial possessions and would remain there through the conflict with their neighbor Vietnam.6 As Frances control in Southeast Asia was becoming a thing of the past, a second Geneva conference was held in 1961 in which independence was granted to the Lao people. Their independence was supposed to make them a neutral player in the Vietnam crisis; however, this subjected them to extremely heavy bombing from the United States. Despite the United States efforts to keep communism dormant in this area of the world, the communist Peoples Party; now renamed the Lao Peoples Revolution Party (LPRP), took complete power in Laos in 1975. 7 The Communist party takeover in Laos basically seemed inevitable at this point in history, as supported by the following quote: A landlocked country, roughly the shape, though only half the size of Italy, with a population of probably under two million (other estimates tange from 1.5 to 3 million), Laos the ancient Buddhist Kingdom of Lan Zang, is strategically situated in much the same uneasy proximity to Communist China as is Afghanistan to the Soviet union. Each faces Communist territory across more than 1,000 miles of common frontier. The economic or political penetration of either, backed by the ever-present possibility of renewed aggression, can be used to threaten
5 6
7

Ng Shui Meng, "LAOS: Taking the Pragmatic Road," Ng Shui Meng, "LAOS: Taking the Pragmatic Road," (Anonymous 2012)

Southeast Asian Affairs, Southeast Asian Affairs,

1, no. 1 (1990): 147 -162, 1, no. 1 (1990): 147 -162.

other free Asian nations. Thus Laos neighbors, Burma and Cambodia, may be forced into more benevolent neutrality and South Viet Nam be subjected to further pressure for reunification on the Laotian pattern.8 Dramatic changes were now about to take place in Laos including political and economic reconfigurations. Many of the major changes include control of the media and the forced encampment of previous government and military officials in re-education camps. These dramatic shifts in policy lead many Lao people to seek refugee status in foreign countries, including the United States.9 Over time, the Lao Government once again made a shift in political policy and closed the re-education camps and released most political prisoners. Today Laos is once again transitioning and hopes to have major developmental changes occur in the country before the year 2020.10 While the Lao political system remains firmly in the control of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP), the forces of globalization and regionalization continue to drive the Lao government to open the economy to market forces. Laos increasingly shows a willingness to engage in international fora on governance issues as well.11

With all of this information, the same general facts such as geography, demographics, and history needs to be addressed for the country of Vietnam. Vietnam is located in Southwest Asia at the geographic location 16 10 N, 107 50 E and in size it is slightly larger than the state of New Mexico. The bordering countries are Laos to the West, China to the North, Cambodia to the West, and the Gulf of Thailand, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the South China Sea all to the East.

8 9
10 11

E.H. S.S., "The Independent State of Laos," The World Today, 13, no. 10 (1957): 32 -441, Ng Shui Meng, "LAOS: Taking the Pragmatic Road," ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012)

Southeast Asian Affairs,

1, no. 1 (1990): 147 -162,

Vietnam is a relatively tropical climate that has many ocean water ports. Along with this, the country is rather mountainous in the Northern portion. Something interesting about the shape of this country, it extends about 1,650 km North to South, but at its most narrowest point, it is only 50 km across.12 Vietnam has a population of 91,519,289 people making it the fourteenth largest country in population in the world. This country is also extremely diverse in terms of ethnicity. The population is made up of 85.7% Viet, 1.9% Tay, 1.8% Thai, 1.5% Muong, 1.5% Khmer, 1.2% Mong, 1.1% Nung, and 5.3% other ethnicities. The age breakdown for Vietnam is 25.2% of the population is between the ages zero and fourteen, 69.3%% is between the ages fifteen and sixtyfour, and 5.5% is sixty-five years and older and there is a median age of 27.8 years. Compared to the statistics of Laos, Vietnam has a larger portion of their population living into their later years. Vietnamese is the official language in Vietnam; however, English, French, Chinese, Khmer, and other mountain area languages are also spoken here.13 Similar to Laos this can attributed to the colonial past of Southeast Asia, in which Vietnam was primarily dominated by French colonialism. Finally, in terms of religion, this population is about 9.3% Buddhist, 6.7% Hao Hao, 1.1% Cao Dai, .5% Protestant, .1% Muslim, and 80.8% of the population identify with not practicing any form of religion14 This is of particular importance because it is typical of Communist countries, for the state to enforce a non-religious practice ideology. This clearly was more effective in Vietnam as compared to Laos. Vietnam has a vastly different history compared to that of Laos. Despite the many differences; however, they do share some strikingly similar past events as one will see. Unlike
12 13 14

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) (Anonymous 2012)

Laos, Vietnams identity is shaped by many long-running conflicts, both domestically and internally, along with foreign forces. Vietnam has consistently been subject to conquering by other powers, dating as far back as 111 BCE (they would come to rule over Vietnam for the next 1,000 years).15 During this time period many Confucian ideas along with political ideals were instilled in the country along with leaving a tradition of resistance to foreign occupation. It was not until the year 939 CE did Vietnam achieve independence from foreign rule.16 During this time period, Vietnam expanded its borders, conquering much of what is present day Vietnam. Many competing families battled for power over the years and civil war was a constant threat for the Vietnamese people up until the 1850s when the French began their conquest of Vietnam.17 By the 1880s, they had annexed and taken under their control practically all of Vietnam, along with Cambodia, and even Laos; as stated earlier, naming this area French Indochina. As the years progressed, strong anti-colonial factions began gaining power throughout most of Vietnam, and pro-communist forces began consolidating power in order to rebel. Under a brief period of Japanese rule, the Communist leader Ho Chi Minh organized a coalition group named the Viet Minh and, taking advantage of the political uncertainty that was taking place in Vietnam, took control of the Hanoi area of Northern Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh officially declared this area independent as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in September of 1945.18 The decades following the end of World War II were plagued with consistent attempts by the French government to reassert colonial authority in Vietnam. Guerrilla warfare along with
15 16 17 18

Nigel Thrift, "Vietnam: Geography of a Socialist Siege Economy," Nigel Thrift, "Vietnam: Geography of a Socialist Siege Economy," Nigel Thrift, "Vietnam: Geography of a Socialist Siege Economy,"

Geography, Geography, Geography,

72, no. 4 (1987): 30-344, 72, no. 4 (1987): 30-344, 72, no. 4 (1987): 30-344,

Quan Xuan Dinh, "The State and the Social Sector in Vietnam: Reforms and Challenges for Vietnam," ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 16, no. 3 (1999): 373-393,

interjections by other European powers lead to a conference at Geneva, Switzerland, where a decree was signed that officially ended French colonial rule in Vietnam.19 The conference also provided a cease-fire between the communist and anti-communist forces in French Indochina and created a temporary division of Vietnam at approximately the 17th parallel. This created a Communist North and a Non-Communist South Vietnam. In the 1950s the North Vietnamese communist leaders consolidated their power and instituted an extremely harsh socialization program and political regime over their people. During this time, former communist guerrilla networks in South Vietnam were reactivated and started an armed campaign in support of creating a unified Communist Vietnam.20 In response, the South Vietnamese requested support from U.S. President Kennedy who sent U.S. military advisers to assist with dealing with the Viet Cong and in 1965, the first U.S. forces were sent over to Vietnam to quell the Communist push. As war raged on, the U.S. and the South Vietnamese struggled to combat the brutal guerrilla war that was occurring in the North. With no end in sight, all three countries met in Paris, France to begin discussing peace agreements. These discussions began very slowly but eventually agreements were met in which the North Vietnamese would remain in the areas that they had taken under their control during the war. As the North kept pushing for more land, the U.S. withdrew their forces from the struggle, paving the way for the North to take a major

19 20

Quan Xuan Dinh, "The State and the Social Sector in Vietnam: Reforms and Challenges for Vietnam," ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 16, no. 3 (1999): 373-393, Quan Xuan Dinh, "The State and the Social Sector in Vietnam: Reforms and Challenges for Vietnam, " ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 16, no. 3 (1999): 373-393,

offensive against the South. On July 2nd, 1976, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam absorbed the former Republic of Vietnam to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.21 With the formation of a Communist united Vietnam, it became very clear in years to follow that Vietnam was hoping to unite Indochina under Communist rule when it invaded Cambodia in 1978.This lead to a brief but extremely bloody border war with Vietnam and China (who had backed the Cambodian regime before the Vietnamese invasion). Conflicts and tensions with neighboring countries became a theme in Vietnam, as many natives began seeking refuge in other areas. It also became clear in the 1980s that the strict agrarian and commercial policies were only harming the economic conditions in the country. This will be discussed more in depth later on in this research paper; however, in the 1990s Vietnam began taking on drastic changes to their economic situation and began instilling more open market based economic changes. Focusing on the growing Information Technology Sector, Vietnam is projected to be the fourteenth largest world economy by the year 2025.22 As one can see from this brief synopsis of general facts about these two countries, there are many similarities and many differences. It is interesting to explore how much more violent and resistant Vietnams history is compared to Laos, a neighboring country of similar political affiliation. Next, regime and state information will be explored to further compare these two countries.

21

Quan Xuan Dinh, "The State and the Social Sector in Vietnam: Reforms and Challenges for Vietnam, " ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 16, no. 3 (1999): 373-393, 22 ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012)

First, Laos and Vietnam both are considered to be a unitary state, which means that the central government exercises supreme and complete control over all administrative decisions. 23 A unitary state is one in which the state is governed as one single unit. This is common in Communist countries. Examples of these countries being unitary states stems from their practices of instilling forced re-education camps. The government had the power to decree that each person get re-educated in the ways of Socialism, and the people of both countries obeyed, listened, and became re-educated. This was the way for the government to weed out the people who were working against the regime, as seen in this quote, After the end of the Second Indochina War some people were shot, many were sent to re-education camps in remote areas to learn to be good citizens. The unlucky ones still languish in these camps.24 Next, with regard to state autonomy and capacity, both countries, Laos and Vietnam both exercise a high degree of autonomy but a low level of capacity. Capacity is the ability of the state to wield power in order to carry out the basic tasks of providing security and reconciling freedom and equality.25 Autonomy is the ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public or international actors.26 What this means is that both governments posses the ability to function normally with a minimal level of public interference. With both of these governements being Communist and authoritarian styled, the ability to carry out basic tasks is very limited. In summation, it can be concluded that these are both very weak states; considering their limited ability to provide for and support their citizens. Finally, when considering the type of legitimacy that both of these countries exhibit, it is difficult to pin-point exactly what they would be labeled as. I would argue that Laos is a mix
23

O'Neil, Patrick H. Essentials of Comparative Politics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 24 ( " W o r l d F a c t b o o k " M a y 7 , 2 0 1 2 ) 25 O ' N e i l , P a t r i c k H . E s s e n t i a l s o f C o m p a r a t i v e P o l i t i c s . N e w Y o r k : W . W . N o r t o n & C o m p a n y , 2 0 1 0 . 26 O ' N e i l , P a t r i c k H . E s s e n t i a l s o f C o m p a r a t i v e P o l i t i c s . N e w Y o r k : W . W . N o r t o n & C o m p a n y , 2 0 1 0 .

between a rational-legal and charismatic leadership. This is because originally, when the Communist party had taken over in Laos, the leadership was built on the charismatic nature of the ruler; however, as time went on, more institutionalization was established and the government began to become more build on rules and procedures.27 As for Vietnam, the government is more build on the charismatic nature of the ruler. The government of Vietnam is weakly institutionalized. Despite these differences, both governments, it can be argued are authoritarian type of regimes. Little rights are given to the people in these styled governments and under Communist leadership, this is exactly the case. Now that it is clear what type of regime both of these countries have, it is worth stating who is currently ruling these countries. In Laos, the people currently in charge are President Lt. General Choummali Salgnason; who is the head of state for the country who has been in power since 2006, and Prime Minister Thongsing Thammevons; who is the head of government for the country who has been power since 2010. In Laos, the president is elected by the National Assembly and that person can serve for a five year term. The Prime Minister is nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly also for a five year term.28 However, no election results are available for the elections. For Vietnam, the same system is in place in which power is shared at the executive branch level. The head of state is President Truong Tan Sang who has been in power since 2011. The head of government is Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who has been in power since 2006. Much like the Lao government, the president is elected by the National Assembly and that

27 28

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012)

person also nominated the Prime Minister who also is elected by the National Assembly.29 Election results are actually known for Vietnam. The last election had the president elected by 97% of the vote in the National Assembly and the Prime Minister had 94% of the vote.30 As one can see, these two countries have very similar governmental systems, both having an authoritarian styled Communist leadership. These similarities can be traced back to the origins of Communism in Indochina. Since this time period, Laos and Vietnam began to follow similar paths of development in terms of government role. Another area to compare these two countries is through their economic conditions. First, Laos started off as a one-party communist state with little market influences; similar to most Communist countries throughout history. However, starting in 1986, a planned decentralization began in which control was loosed of the economy and private enterprise began to be encouraged. Since this has happened, Laos growth rate has exceeded 7% each year, which means that it has been quickly growing and improving its economy ever since. People are taking an interest in their economy and hoping to expand upon the already existing improvements.The pattern of events in Laos during 1993 showed the governments determination to consolidate recent economic gains based on the operation of free goods and financial markets, while structuring the countrys political system more and more on the model of Vietnam.31With all these new improvements, the World Bank has even stated that by the year 2020, Laos has a good chance of graduating from the UNs least-developed countries.32 Some of Laos statistics include Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at $17.44 billion (134 in the world), a .8% inflation rate (174 in

29 30 31
32

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) Arthur J Dommen, "LAOS: Consolidating the Economy

, " Souteast Asian Affairs, 1 , n o . 1 ( 1 9 9 4 ) : 1 6 7 - 1 7 6 ,

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012)

the world), and an unemployment rate of 2.5% (20 in the world).33 All of these statistics show a promising future for Laos. As for Vietnam, this is a country that over the past thirty years has had to struggle through recovery from a devastating war, losing support from the former Soviet Bloc countries, and the rigidness of there centrally planned economy.34 In more recent years, they have taken measures to modernize the economy and get it ready to compete internationally. Currently, this year, Vietnam unveiled a broad three pillar economic program that planned to restructure the private owned enterprises. The doi moi (renovation policy) that Vietnam adopted in the late 1980s has led to high growth and more openness in the economy.35Only time will tell if this plan proves to be effective. Some of the statistical information about Vietnam include the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is $299.2 billion (43 in the world), an inflation rate of 18.6% (214 in the world), and an unemployment rate of 2.3% (18 in the world). Since opening up their markets, Vietnam has made major strides in improving the economic conditions of their country and providing an example for other developing countries. One can see from this research paper that the countries of Laos and Vietnam have many things in common, with regard to regime and economic systems. Despite the many similarities, there are many things that have occurred in their histories that make them unique. Through this comparison one can gain an understanding of the Communist political and economic system and how in the modern era, these two countries have adapted their systems to incorporate more of an open market system. Finally, this research paper argued that despite these countries close

33 34 35

("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) ("World Factbook" May 7, 2012) Nigel Thrift, "Vietnam: Geography of a Socialist Siege Economy,"

Geography, 7 2 , n o . 4 ( 1 9 8 7 ) : 3 0 - 3 4 4 ,

proximity to each other, their historical backgrounds have lead them to develop a separate and unique identity today.

Bibliography Anonymous , First. Footprint Travel Guides, "Laos under Communism." Last modified 2012. Accessed May 13, 2012. http://www.footprinttravelguides.com/asia/laos/about-laos/laosunder-communism/. Central Intelligence Agency, "The World Factbook." Last modified May 7, 2012. Accessed May 13, 2012. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/la.html. Central Intelligence Agency, "The World Factbook." Last modified May 7, 2012. Accessed May 13, 2012. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html. Dommen, Arthur J. "LAOS: Consolidating the Economy ."Souteast Asian Affairs. 1. no. 1 (1994): 167-176. Forbes, Dean, and Cutler Cecile . "Laos in 2004: Political Stability, Economic Opening." Asian Survey. 45. no. 1 (2005): 161-165. Glikey, Robert. "Laos: Politics, Elections and Foreign aid."Far Eastern Survey. 27. no. 6 (1958): 89-94. Meng, Ng Shui. "LAOS: Taking the Pragmatic Road."Southeast Asian Affairs. 1. no. 1 (1990): 147-162. O'Neil, Patrick H. Essentials of Comparative Politics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. S.S., E.H. "The Independent State of Laos." The World Today. 13. no. 10 (1957): 32-441. Thrift, Nigel. "Vietnam: Geography of a Socialist Siege Economy." Geography. 72. no. 4 (1987): 30-344. U.S. Department of State, "Background Note: Laos." Last modified January 19,2012. Accessed May 13, 2012. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2770.htm. Xuan Dinh, Quan. "The State and the Social Sector in Vietnam: Reforms and Challenges for Vietnam."ASEAN Economic Bulletin. 16. no. 3 (1999): 373-393.