A detailed, scholarly reassessment of developments in Cambodia since
December 25, 1978, when Vietnamese combat soldiers expelled the
ruthless Pol Pot regime. _Genocide by Proxy_ is an account of a
country at war and of a people consigned to the role of pawn in world
politics. Michael Haas contends that Cambodia became an arena for
superpower conflict and thus could only find peace when the
superpowers extricated themselves from the country. In providing
perhaps the best explanation of the causes of the Cambodian tragedy,
Haas exposes the narcissism that reigns when one state forces another
to be its pawn. Haas' analysis entails a study in comparative foreign
policies, an exercise that has theoretical merit for political
scientists in search of paradigms of political behavior. Challenging
the conventional view of Vietnam as the aggressor, this volume
vindicates Vietnam's role in the Cambodian conflict, while at the same
time revealing the treachery of U.S. foreign policy toward Cambodia.
Much of the information in the book is based on Haas' own interviews
with more than 100 key international figures and on primary documents.
In an introductory chapter devoted to the basic facts of how genocide
by proxy began, Haas sets forth the history of Pol Pot's rise and
fall. The first three parts of the book, which deal with proxy war,
proxy peace, and deproxification, are related in the style of the film
Rashomon and detail how each country perceived events and framed
policies to use the conflict for its own ends. The final chapter
suggests an alternative to this world of superpower chess games. The
two appendices contain records of voting in the United Nations on
Cambodia. _Genocide by Proxy_ provides a truly fresh assessment of
Cambodia that will prove invaluable in courses in Asian studies,
international relations, and peace research.
Les mer
Cambodian Pawn on a Superpower Chessboard
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780313388781
Publisert
2023
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Bloomsbury USA
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter