Julie Bernath. The Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Power, Politics, and Resistance in Transitional Justice
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The Khmer Rouge genocide, a historical tragedy that continues to resonate in Cambodia's politics, underscores the importance of understanding the country's social and political dynamics.Julie Bernath's The Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Power, Politics, and Resistance in Transitional Justice offers a comprehensive examination of transitional justice in post-conflict Cambodia, providing a rich empirical foundation.The book delves into the establishment and impact of the Extraordinary and survivors, with many responsible figures, such as Pol Pot, dying before the ECCC's establishment, and others, like Nuon Chea, passing away during the trial.Consequently, only a few cases were concluded by the time of the ECCC's dissolution in 2022.In Chapter 2, Bernath discusses empirical findings and analyzes the process through which the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) government strategically and effectively controlled the narrative by resisting in-depth accountability to the ECCC.Drawing from diverse and credible sources-such as public statements made by Hun Sen and senior CPP officials, interviews with ECCC personnel and donor country representatives, trial monitoring, media coverage, declassified ECCC documents, and academic works-Bernath exposes the party's resistance.In this chapter, the author shows that the ruling party's senior members' resistance to tribunal accountability went beyond mere power consolidation and legitimacy pursuits; it aimed to shape a personalized
Source: Southeast Asian Studies
Author: Soksamphoas Im
Institution: Michigan State University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7133518955