His country ranks among the region's poorest and has never enjoyed the diplomatic clout of its neighbours, but with Cambodian elections looming, Prime Minister Hun Sen will be looking to cement his status as an elder statesman of regional politics.
And in Asia - where longevity is considered a hallmark of success - Hun Sen's desire to remain in power for another 35 years is winning him friendly comparisons with Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew. Critics prefer to liken him to Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.
Neither is an apt description. His government has long been accused of corruption, thuggery, nepotism and turning Cambodia into a donor-dependent society. But even his harshest opponents concede Hun Sen, 57, has delivered what this country needed most: peace.
Jim Gerrand, an Australian independent filmmaker who has chronicled Cambodian life since his first documentary in 1971-72, said: 'In recent years he has been trying to win broader acceptance, not just in Cambodia but internationally. The [Cambodian People's Party] is trying to project a cleaner image.
'There is much less violence at this election than in 2003 and before, and they are projecting stability,' he said.
Ultraconservative and prudish, with a temper, Hun Sen was credited with ending illegal television broadcasts by pornography channels, and during routine crackdowns on the capital's nightlife has ordered women to wear dresses below the knees, forced bars to close, and at times banned western music and dance. More than 300 schools bare his name.