Amazon.com

Cambodia has long been regarded as one of the lost causes of U.S. foreign policy. Many view it as the unfortunate stage upon which American and Communist forces battled during the Vietnam War in a savage struggle that tore up the land and shattered the fragile populace. Starting with the overthrow of Prince Norodom Sihanouk in 1970, South East Asia correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Kamm recalls 30 years of revolution and genocide in Cambodia. He begins with the establishment of the Khmer Rouge, detailing the vicious Communist occupation that took place between 1975 to 1979, then moves on to the Vietnamese invasion, the 1991 Paris peace settlement, and the demise of Pol Pot. Kamm pays special attention to the foreign influences that played a significant role in crippling the evolution of the Cambodian people.

This sobering perspective on Cambodia's recent, often tragic, history explains how years of political turbulence and violence has strangled the economy and stagnated the social growth of the people to this day. Kamm intrepidly attempts to answer the questions of "why" and "how" even as he contemplates the uncertain future of the country as the new millennium approaches. Kamm writes with poise and grace, while his 30 years of experience in the region gives him unique insight into the plight of the Cambodians. Those who were moved by The Killing Fields, will find Cambodia a gripping read. --Jeremy Storey

The New York Times Book Review, Arnold R. Isaacs

Kamm's account of Cambodia's long tragedy is spare, blunt and angry.... a tribute to the quality of Kamm's journalism over the years.

From Booklist August 19, 1998

A prizewinning correspondent who has spent many years in Southeast Asia, Kamm brings to life a country most Americans think of only in relation to the Vietnam War, when reports of U.S. aerial bombings along Cambodia's borders brought the country into the foreground of U.S. foreign policy. Kamm traces Cambodia's fortunes from the period when U.S. soldiers were pulled out of Vietnam, one war ending as another was just beginning with Pol Pot's reign of terror. The text capably reprises the activities of the Khmer Rouge, the elite and merciless Communist troops who took over and destroyed what limited structures remained in the nation. Kamm effectively argues that this former French colony is currently in a downward spiral, with little hope of recovery without the emergence of an indigenous elite committed to addressing Cambodia's problems first. But that effort, he believes, must be coupled with Western support centered on humanitarian concerns. A valuable overview for most history collections. Vernon Ford

Synopsis

Based on his observations over three decades, Henry Kamm, Pulitzer Prize-winning NEW YORK TIMES Southeast Asia correspondent, unravels the complexities of Cambodia. Kamm's invaluable document--a factual and personal account of its troubled history-- gives the Western reader the first clear understanding of this magic land's past and present.

Buy this book.

Last Updated: 10/07/01