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Cambodia today is struggling to rebuild its national institutions and repair its society after the catastrophic rule of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and its aftermath. The Khmer Rouge was one of the most horrific regimes of the 20th century. After coming to power in 1975, the Khmer Rouge imposed a brutal agrarian communism, forcing city dwellers into labor camps, and rejecting western medicine. Of a population of 8 million, it is estimated at least 2 million were killed for political reasons or died of malnutrition or illness. Doctors, teachers, artists, and lawyers, who were critical to the functioning of society, were targeted in particular. Cambodian civilization stretches back more than 1,200 years, but the Khmer Rouge, and the resulting 13 years of civil war after its fall, wreaked havoc on the cultural, economic, social and political life of Cambodia. Today, outside of a few larger cities, there are essentially no utilities or infrastructure, and human trafficking and the pervasive danger of uncleared landmines remain significant challenges. |
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