Professor Mertha’s discussion about Cambodia was illuminating on several fronts.  Most importantly to me, I just knew very little about Cambodian history prior to the quick briefing that he gave us at the beginning of the talk.  Like many areas of Asian history, Cambodia’s bloody past is an era that is often overlooked in American history courses and text.  Most people understandably have little idea about what actually went down and how horrible it was, myself included, so receiving a quick lesson on it was much appreciated.

I also really just enjoy to Professor Mertha tell his war stories.  I took his class last semester (China Under Revolution and Reform, a GOVT class) and he always has a funny anecdote about his travels in Asia.  I’d highly recommend him as a professor for anybody interested in eastern Asia.