Nomadic Professor

The Khmer Rouge used the US bombings as their main theme for their recruitment agenda. The killing of civilians in Cambodian villages led to a better approach to recruitment, demonstrating the failure of the US military campaigns. The Nomadic Professor issues that this should sound somewhat familiar today because of the US military campaign in Afghanistan and the results of the same which has seen a swelling of the Taliban insurgents (The Nomadic Professor 3:20). The activities of the US have led to a better recruitment strategy as the terrorist branch uses the attacks on civilians and villages as a way to increase leadership. Having lasted for more than 4 years between 1975 and 1979, the devastating impact of the bloody US bombing campaign in Cambodia saw mass violence that led to the death of more than 2 million people. The Khmer Rouge, a political group, grew in numbers despite its reputation as a murderous communist group. The group took power, backed by the US government, in a campaign that ended up in many civilian deaths. Today, the Taliban in Afghanistan is also a result of the US campaign in the country. Interactions between Taliban forces and the US government through agencies such as the CIA has led to the same result. While people are no longer slaughtered in the same way as in the 20th century, the strategies are still similar. The US government shares some culpability because of its involvement in not just the Khmer Rouge regime and its crimes but also the Taliban disaster in Afghanistan today.

The warfare and economic situation created a range of crisis in the world (Hunt et al. 819). The US government’s participation in all these issues seems to be repetitive in nature. The Khmer Rouge’s success in Cambodia should have served as a basis for different policies today. Yet, the same foreign policy is used in fighting terrorism and influencing global politics. By partnering with a country’s rouge regimes, the US basically intends to create political changes. However, the effects are almost always the same including bloodshed and mass murders, political failure, and the fall of nations. This has been evidenced in Afghanistan and Libya, as a reflection of Cambodia and Vietnam.

Works Cited

Hunt, Lynn, et al. Making of the West, Volume II: Since 1500: Peoples and Cultures. Vol. 2. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.

The Nomadic Professor. CAMBODIA: What connects the U.S. and Pol Pot’s murderous Khmer Rouge regime? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK-_o_MJLPk