In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare

Lachlan takes you back through the more than 30 hours of Season 2's storyline that took us through 15 years of Cambodian history. Support the show at https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.html 

Were the CIA responsible for the coup against Sihanouk? Why did Lon Nol and Sirik Matak finally make a move against the prince? What did Sihanouk’s removal from power mean for the Khmer Rouge? Time Period Covered 1969 - 1970 In the final episode of this season, Lachlan covers the circumstances that surround the plot to remove Norodom Sihanouk from his position as head of state. Lon Nol and Sirik Matak will take advantage of the problem of Vietnamese troop presence on Cambodian land and turn it into a political necessity to oust the Prince. They would make several miscalculations which would mean that this plan would largely backfire, as Sihanouk joins a resistance front with who he thinks are the Khmer Rouge, as well as the Vietnamese and recieving Chinese aid. Lon Nol’s new government will have to resort to terrible measures to try and deliver on their promises. Please consider supporting the show at https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia  Sources Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History” and “Brother Number One” Short “Pol Pot” Shawcross “Sideshow” Heder “Cambodian Communism” Sihanouk “My War With The CIA” Osbourne “Sihanouk” Jagel “Khmer Nationalist” Haing Ngor “Survival in the Killing Fields” Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”

How did Cambodia become the ‘key’ to Nixon’s plan to end the Vietnam War? What was the secret bombing of Cambodia? How many bombs did the US drop on Cambodia? What factors led to the end of Sihanouk’s leadership of the country? Time Period Covered 1968 - 1969 In this episode Lachlan looks at the gradually degrading situation in Cambodia, and the destabilization prior to a change in the Whitehouse that will only make matters worse. We look at Sihanouk’s movies, the Cambodian economy, and the Khmer Rouge as they continue their ‘armed struggle’ across the country. Nixon’s ascension to power in the USA is explored, his plans for a quick end to the Vietnam War, and the role that Cambodia could play in producing this. Bombing, done in secret, is explained, as well as some comments on the general discourse around the idea of ‘bombs over Cambodia’. Check out the YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/8QdRvpbMr_w?si=vTEurMs6dDEmjjHI Sources Short “Pol Pot” Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History” Shawcross “Sideshow” Mark Atwood Lawrence “Concise History of the Vietnam War” Kiernan “How Pol Pot Came To Power” Osbourne “Sihanouk” Heder “Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model” Article Links https://quillette.com/2023/12/07/kissinger-and-cambodia/ https://gsp.yale.edu/case-studies/cambodian-genocide-program/us-involvement/united-states-bombing-cambodia-1965-1973 Support https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia

How many journalists were able to set foot in Cambodia before the revolution, during the revolution and after the revolution? Not many. Elizabeth Becker is one of those people. In 1973 she began covering the war in Cambodia, in 1978 she was part of a three person delegation which saw the first western journalists to enter into Democratic Kampuchea. There she was witness to, as she describes it a "Twilight Zone" version of Cambodia. She also met Pol Pot. The end of her trip ended in tragedy as one member of the delegation was murdered the same night. A fictionalised version of that story is the subject of Rithy Panh's new film Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot, and I got to speak to Elizabeth about her newest book "You Don't Belong Here", as well as her story and work in Cambodia, witnessing the effects of the 1973 US bombing campaign, her tour of Democratic Kampuchea and much more. Please Note At the beginning of the interview, Elizabeth references a review by David Chandler from 1987 and what it meant to hear this critique in the Khmer Rouge Tribunals. She also gives her reasoning behind why she thinks that criticism was given. I feel it is necessary to mention that Chandler later recommended the book in 2009 amongst other praise, and perhaps the reasons why he had been initially critical: "She manages to tell the dramatic sides, the painful aspects, she builds up a very clear and moving picture. She worked in Cambodia in the early 1970s so she got a feel for the country, she understood what had been damaged and how people were affected. It is a very effective book and I believe that it will stand up to the test of time. I had reservations initially because she wasn’t an insider, and like so many writers she goes into the story through the dark side of the Khmers, the spooky nature of the land and people- in this way foreshadowing Philip Short. I don’t buy into that at all. It’s a small reservation I have, but otherwise this is a wonderful book." That recommendation can be found at https://fivebooks.com/best-books/best-books-cambodia/ Please visit https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia to watch the video of the interview.