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Cambodia's Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land, by Joel Brinkley
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A generation after the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia shows every sign of having overcome its history--the streets of Phnom Penh are paved; skyscrapers dot the skyline. But under this fa�ade lies a country still haunted by its years of terror.
Joel Brinkley won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in Cambodia on the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime that killed one quarter of the nation's population during its years in power. In 1992, the world came together to help pull the small nation out of the mire. Cambodia became a United Nations protectorate--the first and only time the UN tried something so ambitious. What did the new, democratically-elected government do with this unprecedented gift?
In 2008 and 2009, Brinkley returned to Cambodia to find out. He discovered a population in the grip of a venal government. He learned that one-third to one-half of Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge era have P.T.S.D.--and its afflictions are being passed to the next generation. His extensive close-up reporting in Cambodia's Curse illuminates the country, its people, and the deep historical roots of its modern-day behavior.
- Sales Rank: #73312 in eBooks
- Published on: 2011-04-12
- Released on: 2011-04-12
- Format: Kindle eBook
From Publishers Weekly
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Brinkley takes on the pricey pitfalls of nation building and the labyrinth of centuries-old political corruption in this riveting piece of literary reportage. At once a tale of human tragedy and a primer on the future of Western engagement with developing—and autocratic—countries, the book offers a rare look inside a country beleaguered by poverty and imprisoned by patronage and venal leadership since the 13th century; traumatized by colonialism, Pol Pot's brutal Khmer Rouge, and the genocide he unleashed (and later by Vietnam, which overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979). Brinkley is merciless in his critique of both Cambodia's leadership as well as the folly of donor countries that placed faith in the U.N. to bring Cambodia into a modern, democratic era. He expresses empathy for "the most abused people in the world," many of whom are in the grip of post-traumatic stress disorders after Pol Pot's reign of terror, but he saves his mercenary eye for the corrupt leaders, including present dictator Hun Sen, who continue to suppress and exploit the country's resources and young, vital population. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review
Kirkus, February 15, 2011
“An excellent…account of a country whose historic poverty, exacerbated by the Vietnam War, remains remarkably unchanged.”
Publishers Weekly
“A riveting piece of literary reportage.”
�Booklist“A heartbreaking but vital status report on a people who deserve far better.”�Foreign Affairs, May/June 2011“Brinkley cuts a clear narrative path through the bewildering, cynical politics and violent social life of one of the worlds most brutalized and hard-up countries.”
San Francisco Chronicle, April 16, 2011
“As a young reporter, Brinkley won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for his coverage of the Cambodian refugee crisis. Returning to the region 30 years later, Brinkley - now a professor of journalism at Stanford - chose his subject well…[he] admirably…demonstrates that Hun Sen's administration has been a disaster for many Cambodians.”
The Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2011
“Illuminating…Mr. Brinkley won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for covering Cambodian refugees, and he weaves the details of the nation's underbelly into a compelling argument, interviewing powerful figures and foreign officials involved in politics, courts, hospitals, land development, forests and schools.”
The American Interest, July/August, 2011“Compelling… a revealing tale of delusion and corruption told with considerable panache.”
About the Author
Joel Brinkley, a professor of journalism at Stanford University, is a twenty-three-year veteran of the New York Times. He has worked in more than fifty nations and writes a nationally syndicated op-ed column on foreign policy. He won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1980 and was twice a finalist for an investigative reporting Pulitzer in the following years. This is his fifth book.
Most helpful customer reviews
126 of 136 people found the following review helpful.
House of Horrors: This book missed the most important lesson.
By T. Stockwell
My experiences and the experiences of my family in Cambodia question the value of this book. If you want to know about Cambodia, this is merely one book - worth reading but not as a gospel.
Although the author has gone to great pains to research the relatively recent events of Cambodia, his knowledge of the deeper history are flawed, troubled, and shallow. He shows us the of face of corruption - and indeed Cambodia is a nation steeped in that history -- and the conditions of the citizens that have resulted. Unfortunately, his ultimate vision is as a Westerner, peering over the wreckage. This is our own kind of corrupt preoccupation: A kind of bleak complacency while we watch the horrors of a TV documentary. What is missing in this book is the heart of the Cambodian people: People who are troubled survivors, very similar to the survivors of the holocaust, who are still vibrant, alive, and open to hope.
There is so much missing from this book that I hardly know where to begin.
For instance:
* Little or no mention of the role of the monks in both supporting the people while simultaneously regaling in the corruption. The monasteries teach the young how to emotionally survive, and take in the old women whose lives have been exhausted. The fact that the religious institution has survived itself is a testament that they have the skill to weather any horror. The fact that many too are corrupt is an understandable result.
* A complete misunderstanding of the life of villages and villagers in Cambodia, while the author focuses on the politics and corruption of the cities. This is like describing an elephant by its dung, as more than 80% live in poverty in the countryside.
* Miss-placing his praise for a Swiss-run hospital in Siem Reap which is renown for its form of corrupt practices, while ignoring the one medical institution (run by an NGO) which is making a substantial difference to the children of the province.
* Characterizing NGOs on the ground as, essentially, naive do-gooders by lumping them together with the largest bureaucratic humanitarian organizations in the world like WHO, etc. He even goes so far as to say that these smaller NGOs are there for the lifestyle, the good restaurants and cheap bars, and the low cost of living. Not only is this offensive to those who are working under extreme conditions in the countryside, it ignores what is being accomplished far from the author's haunts in PP and SR.
I completely appreciate what IS in the book: A long list of corrupt incidents and a pattern of intransigence by a terrible and criminal administration. The book is valuable and informative as a cautionary tale for anyone who is considering going to Cambodia to work with in that environment.
But to blame the citizens of Cambodia for their predicaments is akin to blaming the patients for their illness - something that the author himself attributes to the Hun Sen regime over and over. His primary thesis, in fact, seems to be that the Cambodian people have no one to blame but themselves. Tell that to the grandfather who has lived through the turmoil of the last 60 years. Tell that to the son or daughter who are looking for work, and can only find it by bending to the system. Tell it to the children who have nothing to compare with their miserable lives except their neighbors' children; who can not afford to go to school; who must drink contaminated water; who have a future accurately described as "exactly the fate of farmers 1000 years ago."
This is a horribly accurate book with a horrible and an accurate diagnosis of the failings. But its like diagnosing a disease that has no cure. He blames the NGOs for stressing "good governance" while people starve, and yet offers no solution. He blames external governments for supporting Democracy, but misses the reality that this is a nation that has never ever experienced one decent democratically elected government. He blames NGOs for deluding themselves that they are helping. It's as though - were he sent to post-WWI Germany - he were to blame the Jews for the holocaust.
Corruption - Institutional Corruption - is a condition that will take generations to heal and mend. It will require an educated and well-fed populace to implement change - through real elections or in revolt against the current regime and the long history of oppression. It is true that little progress has been made on any of these particular fronts in Cambodia, but there is some progress in the countryside. And the biggest progress is that the people survive, some are getting relief, and a few more are surviving each year. It's not the progress we want, but it's progress nonetheless.
We, as concerned individuals, should not take the "lessons learned" from this book and consider them to be the future of this country. Instead, it's important to read this book as a way to catch up with the suffering of a people and a nation. If we turn away, cynical and discouraged, we will be like the doctor who was documented in this book: He turns away from a pregnant mother because the family has no money to pay for his services. This seems to be the message that the author is trying to impart to us, the Western nations: "You must turn away from this patient because it has not 'paid' for the billions we have provided in aide with a government that we can accept."
Like cancer, there is no easy cure to corruption. But as humanitarians and as practitioners of modernity, we can not turn away. Until Cambodia's fate is understood to be linked to our own, this book will remain merely as a guidebook through a house of horrors, where there are no exit signs to be found.
39 of 42 people found the following review helpful.
"It will break your heart"
By Mark Reibman
Updated on August 4, 2011
Since my first trip to Cambodia in 2008 I've been an avid reader of books and articles available on Cambodia. The author, Joel Brinkley, returns to Cambodia nearly 30 years after his journalist assignment in 1979 right after the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge. Now Mr. Brinkley takes a new look at Cambodia as he delves deeply, through extensive research and countless interviews into current day Cambodia and it's modern history. One of his most stunning quotes for me is that of former US Ambassador to Cambodia, Joseph Mussomeli, which sets the tone for the book. "Be careful, because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it , and eventually it will break your heart". Much of the information was not new to me. Corruption, violations of human rights, the subversion of a fledging democracy, cronyism, legal impunity, etc. You don't have to spend much time in Cambodia to learn about these things. But Joel Brinkley really takes the reader into the story more deeply. And if you have any connection to and affection for the people of Cambodia, it does break your heart. This book goes into a lot of detail yet is very readable. It takes the reader through some history and tries to make sense against Cambodia's historical context, why this corrupt system seems to flourish. For many westerners interested in and concerned about the present and future of Cambodia this book can help explain some stubbornly puzzling questions about Cambodia. The subject of this book can be very interesting though also depressing ( with it's title am i not stating the obvious? ).... but in the epilogue the author provides some worthwhile insights about the present and future of Cambodia and from where it's rays of hope may emanate.
While i understand that no book is perfect and there are subjective impressions with which i disagree, this book is very well researched and a very worthwhile read. I highly recommend it. My only disagreement with the author is that i did not find the Cambodian people 'dour'. For sure, there is a great deal of emotional and mental damage and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as the author reports, but in general i find the Cambodian people much warmer and more loving than i do in my own country. The illuminating smile and loving presence of the mother i met at the hospital where she was sitting vigil to the long recovery of her daughter from her injuries in the Water Festival Stampede in November of 2010 is something i will long remember.
I hope that this book gets a wide reading and helps people to better understand this neglected country and will be motivated to help in some way.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Reporting, But Flawed Conclusions
By vjstravino
Joel Brinkley has done a masterful amount of research and effort to produce this book. The Cambodian story of the last fifty is enough to engage even casual history, political science and current affairs readers and Brinkley summarizes and enriches it well. The horrors, brutality and social ills are disturbing even as most of us have some recognition of the recent past in that country.
It is an excellent piece of investigative journalism that you would expect from someone with his credentials at the New York Times and as a professor at Stanford.
While Brinkley uses Cambodia as his palate to tell this saga, he could easily be writing about any dozens of countries from all parts of the globe. The extremes of Pol Pot and the author's personal involvement allows for a better narrative and he makes the most of the process, albeit with an somewhat dogmatic agenda. He seemed to have gotten a great deal of access to many of the prime players in the present situation as well as many of the bureaucrats from the recent past. He includes personalized anecdotal snippets from common folk and bit players as well which gives the story a soul.
His conclusions, however, did not resonate with me quite as strongly as they may with some. In the end, the author's simplistic view of an impoverished population just accepting their lot in a cesspool of corruption and injustice did not ring true for me. For a large part of the world populace, the mere day to day struggle to eat and raise and protect a family are all encompassing. Asking or hoping for a very young, desperately poor, uneducated, traumatized populace to stand up for justice from within Cambodia at this time is a bit too tainted with our own American sensibility and experience.
Brinkley does a remarkable job illuminating the bizarre dance between the ruling kleptocrats and their enablers (i.e. donor governments and NGOs). Despite total graft and inactivity, the Cambodian government continues to receive massive amounts of aid so they can continue their despotism. Brinkley meekly nails this cycle as part of the problem. Too meekly.
This book really shines in telling the story of Cambodia's recent past and this is the bulk of the read. In the end, however, the author is too rigid for me in his assessments of the present situation. If it were a simple fix, the UN or another country or some other force of will would have been able to correct this mess years ago. While it is easy to identify poverty, heinous crimes, greed and corruption, correcting these ills on the scale of a nation is far too complex for a singular book. Thirty years just might not be a long enough period of reflection to determine how this will end. One only hopes that the next generation in Cambodia will be able to scratch and claw itself to a better future.
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