This is an insightful and often irreverent account of life in Cambodia, as it emerged from the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, during the United Nations' preparation for democratic elections in 1993.
Cambodia has never recovered from its Khmer Rouge past. The genocidal regime of 1975-1979 and the following two decades of civil war ripped the country apart. This work examines Cambodia in the aftermath, focusing on Khmer people of all walks of life and examining through their eyes key facets of Cambodian society, including the ancient Angkor legacy, relations with neighboring countries (particularly the strained ones with the Vietnamese), emerging democracy, psychology, violence, health, family, poverty, the environment, and the nation's future. Along with print sources, research is drawn from hundreds of interviews with Cambodians, including farmers, royalty, beggars, teachers, monks, orphanage heads, politicians, and non-native experts on Cambodia. Dozens of exquisite photographs of Cambodian people and places illustrate the work, which concludes with a glossary of Cambodian words, people, places and names, and an appendix of organizations providing aid to Cambodia.
Decades before al-Qaeda took shape, religious radicals in Southeast Asia were laying the groundwork for a struggle to achieve a backward-looking utopia. This is the story of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the secretive organization that spans no less than half a dozen nations and seeks the full implementation of their intolerant take on Islam. In The Second Front: Inside Asia's Most Dangerous Terrorist Network, best-selling author Ken Conboy pieces together the planning and execution of JI's most deadly terrorist acts from exclusive interviews and classified reports. In details never before revealed, it delves into the minds of the group's leaders - from the professorial bomb expert Azhari to the al-Qaeda proxy Hambali. From the shadows of the Hindu Kush to battlefields on the Spice Islands, The Second Front peels back the veil of secrecy and chronicles the successes in bringing down this network, as well as exposes the missed opportunities by regional governments to prevent terrorist acts and sectarian violence that have taken the lives of thousands. KEN CONBOY, the bestselling author of INTEL: Inside Indonesia's Intelligence Service and KOPASSUS: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces, is country manager for Risk Management Advisory, a private security consultancy in Jakarta. Prior to that, he served as deputy director at the Asian Studies Center, an influential Washington-based think tank, where his duties including writing policy papers for the U.S. Congress and Executive on economic and strategic relations with the nations of South and Southeast Asia. A graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and of Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies, Conboy was also a visiting fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and has lived in Indonesia since 1992.
This is the story of Mike Mansfield's 15-year reign as Senate Majority Leader. During that time, he witnessed many important events: the election of John F. Kennedy; the Kennedy and King assassinations; student and political unrest; Vietnam; and Watergate and the Nixon resignation.
Most of what is known about the outside world remains superficial and stereotypical. World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia brings a long, rich story to light about ethnic groups, the impact of terrain and natural resources, and the influence of history. This unique reference work maps out how the nations of the modern world became what they are today through photographs of the geography and people of foreign lands, through discussion of ancient and contemporary works of art and events, and through scores of maps detailing geographical features, historic and modern places, natural habitats, rainfall, locations of ethnic and linguistic groups, natural resources, and centers of industry and transportation. No single resource assembles such comprehensive insight into the world and the people who live in it.
This fascinating book recounts the remarkable tale of a career UN official from Indonesia caught in the turmoil of international and domestic politics swirling around Cambodia during the tumultuous period after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Writing from his experience first as a member of the UN transitional authority and then as a personal envoy to the UN secretary-general, Benny Widyono re-creates the fierce battles for power centering on King Norodom Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge, and Prime Minister Hun Sen. A simultaneous insider and outsider, he also untangles the competing and conflicting agendas of the key international players, especially the United States, China, and Vietnam. He argues that great-power geopolitics throughout the Cold War and post–Cold War eras triggered and sustained a tragedy of enormous proportions in Cambodia for decades, ultimately leading to a flawed peace process. Widyono tells the inside story of the massive UN operation in Cambodia, the largest and most challenging in the organization's history to that time and long considered a model for UN operations elsewhere. He draws not only on his vantage point as part of the UN bureaucracy, but also as a local UN official in the rural Cambodian province of Siem Reap, the site of Angkor Wat. As a fellow Southeast Asian with no geopolitical axe to grind, Widyono was able to win the respect of Cambodians, including the once and future king, Norodom Sihanouk, whose decline after fifty years as his country's leading figure is vividly portrayed. Putting a human face on international operations, this book will be invaluable reading for anyone interested in Southeast Asia, the role of international peacekeeping, and the international response to genocide.
CultureShock! Cambodia provides all the essential information one needs to make settling into this once war-torn country as painless as possible. Benefit from the practical advice provided including how to find accommodation and employment, which schools to put your children in as well as the documentation required when applying for the various facilities and licences. Discover what to do when encountering monks with mobile phones and how to ride a motorcycle taxi Cambodian-style. Learn more about the Cambodian people and understand the irony behind their warm and friendly nature. Grasp the basics of the Khmer language and browse through the list of places to explore especially the infamous Angkor Wat. CultureShock! Cambodia is a valuable guide for anyone who wants to visit or stay in this beautiful country of Cambodia.
Long neglected by Western travellers, Phnom Penh became Cambodias permanent capital in 1866. It has been home to Iberian missionaries and French colonialists, with a stunning mix of traditional palaces, Buddhist temples and transplanted French architecture. In the 1960s Phnom Penh deserved its reputation as the most attractive city in Southeast Asia. But after 1970 all this was to change, and a terrible civil war was followed by the Khmer Rouges capture of the city in 1975. Since the defeat of Pol Pot in 1979, Phnom Penh has slowly recovered, once again attracting perceptive travellers.
This book is the story of Peter Maguire's effort to learn how Cambodia's "culture of impunity" developed, why it persists, and the failures of the "international community" to confront the Cambodian genocide. Written from a personal and historical perspective, Facing Death in Cambodia recounts Maguire's growing anguish over the gap between theories of universal justice and political realities. Maguire documents the atrocities and the aftermath through personal interviews with victims and perpetrators, discussions with international officials, journalistic accounts, and government sources.