Last week’s Rose Cafe featured Professor Andrew Mertha from the Government department and his recent studies about Cambodia and the role China had in influencing its development. This talk was interesting because our world history classes never discuss Cambodia’s history much, besides the Khmer Rouge and that it’s just a smaller country that China exerts its hegemonic influence onto. It was really fascinating to hear about his own travels to Cambodia, and how he discovered these secret Chinese government official documents. It’s jarring to hear how disorganized the Chinese government and bureaucracy can be, which is understandable given how it’s one of the world’s largest nations and it has influences in countries scattered across the Pacific, but still contrary to the established image as the terrifying next-world economic power. I think the most interesting part of the talk was about his experiences talking to Pol Pot’s former cook and now Chinese ambassador. I loved seeing the photos he showed, and the stories he told about him conversing with the cook in Chinese and how happy it made her feel. Overall, I loved the talk, and it was so refreshing to get that global perspective.