On May 22 of this year, former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen described how his “Win-Win Strategy” took the Kingdom from genocide to national reconciliation, to the prosperous, albeit authoritarian, present. His nearly two-hour address at the “Future of Cambodia Without Genocide” conference in Phnom Penh was part Charles de Gaulle’s “ Oui c’est l’Europe ,” and part Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Cambodian leader for nearly 40 years, from 1985 to 2023, Hun Sen ended his speech with a warning to the United States and the United Nations not to engage in “color revolutions.
” “Please do not make a third mistake in Cambodia,” Hun Sen said. “You’ve already made two.” Sitting in the courtroom where the Cambodian government and the U.
N. had successfully tried Khmer Rouge leaders Noun Chea, Khieu Samphan, and “Brother Duch,” I had to give the man I had criticized for decades his due. Not only had he captured the Khmer Rouge leaders; but he had also coerced the U.
N. into sponsoring his expensive and mostly successful war crimes trials. In addition to landmine removal, Cambodia was fast becoming a world leader in the equally dangerous art of reconciliation after a genocidal conflict.
In January 2024, I received an unexpected invitation from my old friend, Youk Chhang. The executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) asked me to serve as “an international observer” at the “Future of Cambodia Without Genocide” conference.