"History of Aid to Laos" is the first comprehensive study of development assistance to the aid-dependent country of Laos. The book investigates the situation of a country dependent on foreign aid for more than half a century and the ways in which donor nations have shaped its development and political relationships through the aid process. The book traces foreign aid to Laos beginning with the French administration in the 1950s, through American military-dominated assistance targeted to defeat communism, the communist bloc's economic rescue and the related political upheaval, the increasing dominance of financial institutions and Western bilateral donors as Laos' economy opened up, and finally, the ascendant influence and assistance of neighbouring countries, notably China, Thailand, and Vietnam, that have rushed in to exploit its natural resources and eco-tourism potential. After decades of foreign aid, Laos is left with a continuing dependence on development assistance, a status as one of the world's Least Developed Countries (LDC), and a host of new and old problems such as human trafficking, drug addiction, lack of human resources, and environmental degradation.
Viliam Phraxayavong, an associate of the Australian Mekong Resource Centre, was director of international economic cooperation in the Royal Lao Government from 1964 to 1975.