The Rise and Fall of the Khmer Rouge

In this episode, A'ndre and Ryan are joined by University of Michigan Professor John Ciorciari to discuss the Cambodian Genocide and decades-long fight for justice. The conversation begins with how the Khmer Rouge rose to power and the ideological underpinnings of its movement. John also provides a background of the authoritarian leader, Pol Pot, and how he rose to power in relative obscurity. With Pol Pots rise also came horrific violence agains the Cambodian people, rising to what the International community has deems a genocide. John helps us dissect how and why the Khmer Rouge regime perpetrated this genocide and the how it finally concluded in the late 1970s. With the  recent conclusion of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, John details the fight for justice, highlighting both the positive and negative implications of the tribunal's work. The episode concludes with a discussion of Cambodia today and the legacy of Cambodian Genocide.

To learn more about, please check out these resources recommended by Professor Ciorciari:
The Killing Fields, The Diplomat, Hun Sen's Cambodia, and The Pol Pot Regime.