Laos in 1990: Winds of Change

Abstract

Laos in 1990 saw winds of change blowing but not all in the direction willed by the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party. Overall, the momentum of economic reform and restructuring was abetted by further infusions of Western aid. However, looming prospects of a cutoff in Soviet bloc aid and disillusion stemming from the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe saw Laos once again bidding up ties with Thailand and China. Otherwise, Laos retains its client status vis-a-vis Vietnam and, as with Vietnam, has sought to keep the lid on pressures for political opening. Thus, while 1990 saw Laos drafting its first post-1975 Constitution, the surface calm of the country was beset with stirrings on the part of both ethnic minorities and urban elements that suggested an impatience with the regime's failure to entertain political reform.