Nice concise account of the tragic history of Cambodia. I should also mention that Nixon and Kissinger, eager to cement better relations with Mao-Tse-Tung and Red China, acquiesced to the ascendancy of the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, essentially leaving Cambodia to its own devices.

Some historians argue, and I agree, that the United States literally drove the Cambodian peasantry into the arms of the Khmer Rouge with their horrendous carpet bombing, so our brilliant strategists actually helped foster this Frankenstein monster.

I would also point out that the number of deaths attributable to the Khmer Rouge's forced collectivization and holocaust after the war has been the object of wild speculation as well as propaganda to assault anti-war groups with, with figures projected as high as 3.3 million, yet with little documentation to support this high end figure.

Undoubtedly the number is considerably lower, more likely between 750,000 and a million and a half, which is still grotesque however. Many died from starvation and sickness due to terrible agricultural planning and the rejection of Western medicine; most of the rest were executed for ideological reasons, or because the rather paranoid leadership found itself beset with internal rivals and enemies.

by Mac McKinney (53 articles, 113 quicklinks, 240 diaries, 1413 comments [31 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Aug 25, 2007 at 10:56:08 PM

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Bloody good article Larry, commend you on writting it, however it's a sad day indeed, that you had to write it at all.

It reflects people's attitude that they simply could'nt care less, especially the younger folk, oldies (like myself and probably yourself as well ) lived thru the period in question, some of us were even involved first hand in those events (maybe if Bush had been involved as well, he'd be a little wiser himself, of course the idea of that is ludicrous in the extreme, as we all know, Money does not put it's back side on the line for anyone, least of all the common rabble) speaking of these matters today to anyone under 40, gains you strange looks as the listener slowly edges away from you.

Clearly, many Americans simply do not wish to be reminded of their complicity in those events, just as today, they pretend they are not accountable for repeats of them today in Iraq and the drum beat for Iran.

Never the less, I'm glad that you've gone to the trouble of placing in print the facts as they happened as the Media seems to be unable to do this.

In many other communications I've pointed out that the deaths, destruction of families ect, during the Vietnam era are repeated in Iraq right at this very moment, we don't have to wait for any withdrawal.

It's FACT, that when a country invades another and destroys their socila infrastructure in it's attempts to replace it with something of their own desires, there will be severe ramifications for the people of that country, moreso when their electricity and water supplies have been targeted by the invaders, placing every member of such a nation in danger.(I was under the impression the Geneva Convention recognised and identified such actions as WAR CRIMES)

Therefore, for such citizens to survive, they have no option at all, but to go hat in hand to their invaders begging for relief, the invader then imposes their wishes upon such people to gain their obedience, then proclaims to the World, they are doing the invaded a big favour by bringing them freedom and democracy.  At the same time, the citizens who do not go hat in hand to the invaders, consider their fellow citizens who do, TRAITORS and therein lies the answer for repercussions after the invaders leave.

They have only two options left open to them, one is th leave with the invaders, yet the invaders have made if abundently clear, this will not happen, so pray tell, what's going to happen to those citizens who have betrayed their fellow countrymen ?

YEP, their future prospects are limited indeed, and no grandstanding or posturing by the Administration and it's so called leaders in the Whitehouse, is going to stop this happening, withdrawal or no.

by Eddy Schmid (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 234 comments [17 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 at 12:13:56 AM

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Mr. Beinhart has written an excellent synopsis on the history or US Cambodian relations.

There is one other item I would like to add.

Current scholarship, based on the telephone recordings of President Johnson's conversations at the time indicate that the facts regarding the Tonkin Gulf incident were distorted.

Johnson had ordered the USS Maddox & Tutner Joy to shell North Vietnamese installations and when their navy responded to defend their shores, Johnson misrepresented it as an unprovoked attack on US Navy vessels inoffensively patrolling in international waters.

Unfortunately, the American public in its naive reverence of the Presidency and the cult of Americanism is unwilling its own government's frequent mendacity and aggressiveness.

by Robert Chapman (28 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 556 comments) on Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 at 7:58:29 AM

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Apologies for my omission of the significance of the North Vietnamese attack on these US Navy vessels.

The Congress responded to President Johnson's version of the attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin with the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, the de facto and de juris declaration of hostility against the North Vietnamese and the US military build-up in South Vietnam reached over 650,000 men within a few months and with that build up full scale hostilities began.

by Robert Chapman (28 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 556 comments) on Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 at 8:02:40 AM

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