I knew little to nothing about Cambodia before tonight, and my previous knowledge consisted of knowing that it was somewhere in Asia.  When I discovered that it borders Vietnam I was surprised that I hadn’t learned more about the country, especially since I studied the Vietnam war in US History classes in middle and high school.  Professor Mertha explained that Cambodia was an United States ally, but were reluctant to become involved in our war with Vietnam.  Furthermore, the Khmer Rouge rise to power and its subsequent genocide of Cambodia’s people removed it from the United State’s attention.  Regardless, I was surprised to learn about the genocide by the Khmer Rouge, its lack of participation in the Vietnam war, and China’s attempt to pull the strings of Cambodia’s leaders.  Perhaps more surprising was Cambodia’s ability to push back against Chinese influence and maintain its own volition.

The second part of Professor Mertha’s talk was devoted to his finding top secret and classified Chinese documents that related to Cambodia and his subsequent adventures in understanding them.  It was incredibly lucky for one of his students to have had the connections to help him understand the documents he found, and this is a prime example of why teachers should discuss their current research/projects with their classes.  Moreover, Professor Metha’s successes in understanding the documents highlight the importance of persistence and hard work.