As the new regional editor for Asia, I would first like to let you know that my enthusiasm for the region, it peoples, its diversity is immense, and that I am constantly working to personally develop my understanding of this area. In support of this goal, I have taken on the task of being an editor for the journal. However, this is not something that I can accomplish alone. In each issue of the FAO Journal, space will be devoted to issues concerning the region, to review and discuss books, articles, web sites, and editorial comments. I will serve as the central collection point for all of your inputs, coordinate with the journal for appropriate space, and then, get you published. This should be a joint effort that will broaden all of our horizons. So I ask you, the next time you read something of interest, share it with the rest of us so that all can benefit.
To start us off, I would like to take a few lines and discuss one of the more recent books on Cambodia: Henry Kamm's Cambodia: Report From a Stricken Land (1998). This book is particularly relevant in light of the current events in Cambodia. How the Cambodians and the world are going to deal with the still living senior members of the Khmer Rouge will hold many lessons for the future and has applicability to other areas of the world, such as the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. With the exception of Pol Pot and Son Sen, almost the entire leadership of the Khmer Rouge has turned itself over to the Hun Sen government. With the well-documented history of genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to late 1978, some interesting questions arise and deserve discussion. Will the Hun Sen Government offer totally amnesty to these individuals in the interest of national reconciliation and to avoid further bloodshed? How will China, the Khmer Rouge's largest supporter during its time in power and during the Vietnamese occupation, respond if a group of Western nations led by the US attempt to bring Ieng Sary, Khieu Sampan, Nuon Chea and others to trial? How can the US take a position on the moral high ground and lead the prosecution effort when we supported the coalition of Cambodian resistance groups in the 1980's, of which the Khmer Rouge forces under Pol Pot made up the vast bulk of the fighting forces. Did US realpolitick overshadow moral right in this devastated nation?
Henry Kamm's book does provide some valuable insights into Cambodia's recent history and will help shed some light on the above issues. His discussion and first hand observations of Cambodian key personalities, such as Lon Nol; his brother, Lon Non, Prince Sihanouk, and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, during the time of the US's involvement in the Indochina Conflict, is a good supplement to previously published works. Another strong suit of Kamm lies in is his discussion of the Khmer Rouge years, the Vietnamese Occupation and the subsequent huge UN operation that followed Vietnam's withdrawal.
However, the book does have some significant weaknesses. The author has a tendency to jump randomly back and forth in time, which causes the flow of the book to suffer and leads to some unnecessary repetition. Also, there are only about 20 pages at the end dealing with the period after the 1993 UN sponsored elections. The book turns out to be not a report from a stricken land, but instead, a short narrative of the last 25 or so years. I was looking for more on the current situation facing the Cambodia leadership. Is it worth reading? Yes, but go in forewarned with the understanding that the book is postured a little deeper in the past than what would one would think from the title and book jacket.
Leaving the heartbreak of Cambodian history, I would like to share with you an excellent web site dealing with China. It is the US Embassy's site in Beijing (http://www.usembassy- china.gov). This site not only offers the usual information one would expect but much more. All recent speeches and press releases are available in the Press and Cultural Section, including the one Admiral Prueher delivered at Fudan University on 13 November 98 entitled, "Asia-Pacific Security and China: A US Pacific Command Perspective". Upon landing on the embassy's home page, another area I found very worthy of exploring was the Economic Section, where one can find many economic statistics as well as some fairly in-depth reports concerning the myriad of issues surrounding US-China Trade. The Political Section's link is also a gold mine. One of the more interesting items was a translation in summary of Captain Wu Chunguang's book Competition in the Pacific Ocean: Problems in Maritime Strategy for Modern China. This overview will give one a glimpse of some of the strategic thinking that is ongoing in the PRC. For those interested in keeping current in your language, no matter where you are assigned, there is a schedule of Voice of America broadcasts on the site. Within a few minutes, one can tap into some of these transmissions using RealAudio over the Internet.
In closing, I look forward to hearing from all Asian FAO's and including your comments, ideas, and contributions in this column. I can be reached by Internet:
rundles@pom-emh1.army.mil
commercial phone: (831) 242-5668
DSN 878-5668
Fax xxx-6521
Regards, LTC Steve Rundle