Module 2: Decolonization and the Cold War
Did Cambodian Americans attain justice for the harms of war and genocide?
I was warned by the French
Before they left Kampuchea in a hurry
Come with us they said but like my only friend Rithisal
I chose not to abandon
in such cowardly fashion
Rithisal young historian says
why the Powers do nothing to end this experiment
first began with American president orders from menu
campaign breakfast lunch dinner
snack on Ho Chi Minh Trail Kampuchea after independence
not land
for wars Khmer Rouge in power threatens
Phnom Penh evacuate now
the city will be bombed I say quiet Rithisal not so loud
– Monica Sok, excerpted from “The Radio Host Goes into Hiding” A Nail the Evening Hangs On 1
In the poem “The Radio Host Goes into Hiding,” Cambodian American poet Monica Sok speaks in the imagined voice of a radio host. Through the unnamed host and their friend, the young historian Rithisal, Sok offers a first-person experience of historical events. Connecting the radio host’s experiences of violence to the geopolitical conditions that gave rise to the Khmer Rouge, the poem illustrates the transnational dimensions of Cambodian history during the Cold War in Southeast Asia.
This module addresses the topics of decolonization and the Cold War. We will explore the meanings of international law relating to war and its consequences after World War II. We also will learn about modern Cambodian history in its larger historical context during the Cold War to help us understand the global conditions that produce mass violence.
What was the Cold War?
What did US intervention in Cambodia look like?
How did geopolitical violence affect Cambodia and Cambodians?
