China’s historical support of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge and contemporary implications for China’s regional and global power

On Tuesday November 14th we will be screening the movie “First They Killed My Father” as this will be the topic of our discussion with Andrew Mertha on November 17th. Andrew Mertha is a professor of government at Cornell University, specializing in Chinese and Cambodian politics, particularly on political institutions, the policy process, and the exercise of power. He is a core faculty member in the Cornell East Asia Program and the Cornell Southeast Asia Program. He is also the President of the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS). He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters and three monographs, including, most recently, Brothers in Arms: Chinese Assistance to the Khmer Rouge, 1975-1979 (Cornell University Press, 2014). His current project looks at Khmer Rouge governance from 1979 to 1999. Cambodian Genocide is rarely discussed in high school and college curriculums. Middlebury College does not have a Southeast Asian department, so it is an amazing opportunity to see a merge of East Asian and Southeast Asian politics. Andrew Mertha will provide enlightening insights to Middlebury students and spark interdisciplinary conversations surrounding China’s rise in power in the contemporary international system.