Political Corruption and its impact on Domestic Security: An Analysis

This essay examines the impact of political corruption on domestic security, particularly in Southeast Asian nations. It defines political corruption as the unethical and fraudulent actions of those in power for personal gain, citing examples like bribery and misuse of authority. The paper highlights how corruption undermines democracy, leads to unequal power distribution, and fosters insecurity among citizens. Focusing on Vietnam, the analysis reveals a correlation between high corruption rates and weakened domestic security, evidenced by terrorist activities and political instability. The essay also discusses the exploitation of the nation's resources by international powers and the ineffectiveness of anti-corruption campaigns. It concludes that corruption limits opportunities, hinders national growth, and creates a pervasive sense of insecurity, impacting the overall stability and development of Southeast Asian countries. Desklib provides access to this and similar academic resources for students.

Running head: POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND DOMESTIC SECURITY
Political Corruption and Domestic Security
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1POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND DOMESTIC SECURITY
As opined by Gregory (2016), political corruption has emerged as one of the major
threats that the different nations of the continent of Asia are facing currently which is
adversely affecting their domestic security in a substantial manner. Dwyer et al. (2016) are of
the viewpoint that the evil machinery of political corruption along with repudiating the very
notion of democracy also results in unequal distribution of power within the political system
of the different nations. More importantly, it is seen that through the usage of the various
forms of political corruption the politicians and the others in these Southeast Asian nations
are seeking power for their own sake rather than for the development of the concerned
nations (Balme and Sidel 2016). The net result of this is that the domestic as well as the
international securities of these nations have been adversely affected because of the high rate
of political corruptions in these nations. In addition to these, it is seen that the high rate of
political corruption which is prevalent in these nations not only limits the free will of the
citizens of these nations but at the same time creates a sense of insecurity among them
(Burns, Novick and War 2017). Furthermore, the high rate of political corruption also affects
the practice of the human rights or the rights which have been given by the constitutions of
these nations to the people because of the unequal distribution of power and also the manner
in which power is being attained by the individuals. This paper will analyze the manner in
which the high rate of political corruption which is prevalent in the various Southeast Asian
countries affects the domestic security of these nations and also creates a sense of insecurity
among the people.
Cubbage and Brooks (2016) have articulated the viewpoint that the notion of
corruption can be defined as the unethical as well as fraudulent or dishonest conduct or action
on part of those individuals who are in power. More importantly, as stated by Logevall
(2017), the primary purpose of those in power behind of usage of these unethical means or
the process of corruption is the attainment of their own personal needs rather than the

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improvement of the condition of the nation of which they are a part of. Furthermore, in the
recent times it is seen that various forms of corruption have prominence, namely, bribery,
dishonesty, double-dealing, misconduct, unethical use of power and others (Kerkvliet 2018).
Moreover, these different kinds of corruptions are being used for the attainment of different
ends, namely, political benefits, economic benefits and others (Tromme 2016). However,
Malesky, Gueorguiev and Jensen (2015) concur on the viewpoint that the menace of political
corruption has emerged as one of the top threats which is currently afflicting the stability as
well as the domestic security of the different nations of the world like Vietnam, Indonesia,
Thailand and others.
As argued by Fforde and Homutova (2017), the evil machinery of political corruption
can be defined as the process through which the government official or those in power for
that matter use the power that has been given to them or vested in them for the attainment of
their own personal needs. In addition to the government officials, the individuals or the
organizations to those governmental contracts have been given also take the help of unethical
as well as unjustified means for the attainment of more power and also the fulfillment of their
personal greed and desires (Godson 2017). On the other hand, Pleines and Wöstheinrich
(2016) have argued that only those acts or actions fall under the category of political
corruptions in which the governmental officials or the individuals who have been given
power on the score of their designation utilize their power or position for indulging in the
kind of activities that are derogatory to the interests of the concerned nation. Recent
researches clearly indicate that the evil menace of political corruption had negative effects on
not only on the domestic security of the nations but at the same time on the economic as well
as developmental prospects of the concerned nations as well (Goldstone 2018). This is one of
the major reasons for the various kinds of problems that the different Southeast Asian nations

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like Vietnam, Indonesia and others are currently facing which adversely affects the national
as well as the domestic security of these nations (Philp 2016).
An analysis of the Southeast nation Vietnam reveals insightful information regarding
the adverse of political corruption on the domestic security of any nation and also the sense of
insecurity which the process of political corruption fosters in the people of the concerned
nation. As a matter of fact, the nation under discussion here on the “Transparency
International's 2017 Corruption Perception Index” the concerned nation stands at the 107th
position among the 180 different nations of the world (Johnston 2017). More importantly,
Rose-Ackerman and Palifka (2016) have articulated the viewpoint that the root cause of the
political corruption and other forms of corruption which is prevalent in the nation can be
attributed to the weak infrastructure of the government of the nation, the decentralized nature
of the political system of the nation and others.
The nation for the process of effective governance has given various kinds of
contracts to the third parties which are miss-utilizing the power which had been given to them
(Eadie 2017). Furthermore, the nation under discussion here actively takes the help of various
private organizations and also rich individuals for the funding of the various campaigns of the
national government which in turn had not only diminished the power as well as the authority
of the national government but at the same time had contributed in a significant manner
towards the various kinds of problems that the nation is currently (Godson 2017). In this
regard, it needs to be said that the unemployment rate of the nation is at an all-time high
which in turn had greatly enhanced the dissatisfaction of the people with the central
government of the nation. The net result of this is that the national government in order to
stabilize the condition of the nation is taking the help of various international powers like
Russia, United States of America and others (Eadie 2017). However, these nations in turn are
misappropriating the power which had been given to them by the national government of

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Vietnam and are using them for the creation of military industry complex in the nation. This
in turn led to the famous Vietnam War (1955- 1975) which the nation had to undergo in the
20th century that greatly affected the stability of the nation (Chinhphu.vn 2019).
The high rate of political corruption which is prevalent in the nation of Vietnam had
not only adversely affected the prospects of the nation but at the same time had weakened the
domestic security of the concerned nation as well (Zheng and Chen 2015). For example, the
central or the national government of the nation under discussion had become a weaker one
because of its over-reliance on the various governmental authorities and also international
nations for the management of the diverse affairs of the nation (Rose-Ackerman and Palifka
2016). This in turn had led to various kinds of political turmoil in the nation in the present
times but at the same time had weakened the internal or the domestic security of the nation as
well. The net result of this is that the nation in the recent times had been subjected to various
terrorist activities and had also become of the hub of terrorist organizations.
Burns, Novick and War (2017) are of the viewpoint that the terrorist attacks on Ho
Chi Minh City's airport, Tan Son Nhat international airport and others which the nation of
Vietnam had faced in the recent times had greatly affected the domestic as well as national
security of the nation in the recent times. In addition to this, it is seen that the people of the
nation taking inspiration from the political as well as terrorist activities in nations like Iraq,
Syria and others have formed various kinds of sleepers in the nation which had placed the
nation in the red zone and thereby the nation is currently identified as one of the most
unstable nations of the world (Cubbage and Brooks 2016). More importantly, the different
nations like USA, Russia, UK and others which had intervened in the nation for the
resolution of these terrorist activities and also for restoring the stability are miss-utilizing the
power that had been vested in them (Dwyer et al. 2016). For example, it is seen that the
primary bone of contention for the majority of these nations in Vietnam is the natural

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resources of the concerned nation and also the strategic geographical location of the nation
which will enable these first world nations to control the adjoining nations of Asia and
Europe (Balme and Sidel 2016).
The national government of Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Vietnam in the recent times had
come under much criticism because of the process of political corruption which is being used
for retaining power by them (Fforde and Homutova 2017). For example, one of the most
important allegations made against the nation is the fact that the members of the ruling party
are taking the help of unethical coercive power for the elimination of opposition party and
their power within the nation (Rose-Ackerman and Palifka 2016). In addition to this, it had
been seen black money and also money from the various international nations which are
trying to utilize the resources of the nation in an unethical manner for the election campaigns
and also for maintaining their strong hold within the nation have been used by the national
government (Pleines and Wöstheinrich 2016). More importantly, it is seen that contracts are
given to the individuals and also organizations who offer the maximum amount of bribes to
the governmental authorities and staff members. Furthermore, these are not done by the
authorities and also the staff members to further the interests of the nation but to fulfill their
own greed and also to attain power for their own personal purposes (Malesky, Gueorguiev
and Jensen 2015). It is pertinent to note that the national government of Vietnam had
launched an Anti-Corruption campaign in the recent times and although the official statistics
show that corruption had reduced in the nation yet the actual scenario of the nation point
otherwise (Goldstone 2018).
Zheng and Chen (2015) are of the viewpoint that the high rate of corruption which is
prevalent in the nation had created a sense of insecurity among the citizens of the nation
under discussion here which in turn is adversely affecting the growth as well as the domestic
security of the nation in a significant manner. As opined by Rose-Ackerman and Palifka

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(2016), the growth as well as the prosperity of any nation depends greatly on the extent to
which the people of the nation feel secured and also the kind of opportunities which are being
offered to them. In this regard, it needs to be said that the problem of political corruption that
the nation under discussion here is currently and as a matter of fact that the majority of the
Southeast Asian nations are currently facing has limited the number of opportunities that are
available to the citizens (Burns, Novick and War 2017). For example, it is seen that this had
not only reduced the employment opportunities but also other kind of opportunities like
educational, social and others that are available to the people which in turn hinder them from
the maximization of their full potential (Malesky, Gueorguiev and Jensen 2015).
The current scenario in the various Southeast Asian nations is such that the
individuals cannot get governmental jobs or get admitted into the government sponsored
educational institutions with giving bribes or doing personal favors to the people who are in
power (Balme and Sidel 2016). This in turn had greatly reduced the free will of the
individuals and also hinders them from the fulfillment of their basic psychosocial needs and
also the rights which had been given to by the national government. Furthermore, this had
created a sense of insecurity among the citizens of the nation, particularly the ones who
belong to the younger generation and this is perhaps one of the major reasons why the nation
is facing so many political turmoil in the recent times (Dwyer et al. 2016). Moreover, the
people in the absence of adequate jobs or growth opportunities are resorting to all kinds of
means for the purpose of sustaining themselves and this had contributed in a significant
manner towards the problems faced by the nation in the recent times (Cubbage and Brooks
2016). The net result of this is that the domestic security of these nations had been
compromised in a significant manner in the recent times because of the high level of political
corruption which is prevalent in the nation. Thus, it can be said that the high level of
dissatisfaction which the people of these nations feel because of the high rate of political

7POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND DOMESTIC SECURITY
corruption not only makes them resort to various kinds of unethical activities but at the same
seek opportunities in the other nations of the world. This in has given rise to the problem of
squandering of human resources and capital in these nations which has emerged as another
cause of concerned for these nations in the recent times.
To conclude, political corruption is one of the major wicked problems that the
different nations of the world are facing currently. The high rate of political corruption that
the different Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and others are facing
currently had comprised the domestic as well as international security of these nations in a
significantly manner. More importantly, the process of political corruption had not only
weakened the political system of these nations but at the same time in the recent times had
given rise to various kinds of political struggles as well as turmoil. In addition to these, the
evils of bribery, personal favors and others which exist within the nation had not only limited
the free will of the people of these nations but at the same time is a gross infringement of the
rights which had been given to them by the governmental authorities. This in turn had limited
the number of educational, employment and other kinds of growth opportunities that are
available to the common people of these nations. Thus, a sense of insecurity had gained
prevalence among the youths of these nations and also the people related to the other age
brackets which in turn had greatly jeopardized the domestic as well as the national security of
these nations in a significant manner. These in short are some of the major reasons why the
problem of political corruption had emerged as one of the top five problems, which is
currently affecting the national security of the different Southeast Asian nations.

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