Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

In this paper, I analyze the United Nations approved Cambodian led tribunals for the Khmer Rouge genocide. The 2003 tribunal was the first of three tribunals brought against Khmer Rouge leaders that perpetrated the genocide that killed 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975-1979. I seek to answer the questions: 1) What impact did the United States failure in Southeast Asia have on the tribunal process; 2) why did the United Nations allow Cambodian courts to lead the tribunal process; and 3) what impact did the delayed process have on survivors and future generations? I use court documents, the 1997 request to the United Nations from Cambodian Prime Ministers, the 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations to proceed with the tribunal, video documentaries, memoirs from survivors, and United States foreign policy under the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations in regards to Cambodia. The failure of the United States in Southeast Asia, and the foreign policy of the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administration allowed the Khmer Rouge to seize power in Cambodia and murder 1.7 million Cambodians. The failure of the United States in Southeast Asia delayed the tribunal process, impacting survivors and future generations of Cambodians. Cambodian courts, unlike those in Rwanda or Yugoslavia led the United Nations tribunals, which resulted in three convictions, leading us to question was the process worth it? This research should create a new understanding of the tribunal process in Cambodia, and address the dangers of allowing countries that perpetrate genocides to discipline themselves.