Lessons Learned from the Cambodian Peace Process

Peace settlement preparation and implementation are among the most time-consuming and labour-intensive processes known to the conflict resolution community and international diplomacy. It is well documented that the post-Cold War international order witnessed a significant transformation in how both conflicts were fought and concluded. Bercovitch and Jackson state that by the 1990s, proxy conflicts were no longer being utilised as frequently and a surge of new peace processes aimed at establishing long-term models of liberal peace were being launched (Bercovitch & Jackson 2009: 2, Richmond & Franks 2009).
Cambodia is a good illustration of this dynamic in action. Because it had been subjected to a massive aerial bombing campaign by the United States military during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, the country was subsequently thrust into the darkest phase of its history to that point (Pilger 2005: 124). After that, the Khmer Rouge's unsuccessful attempt to bring about a utopian, socialist agricultural revolution resulted in the murders of about two million Cambodian civilians, and the country was plunged into extensive turmoil, including international isolation and civil conflict.
This research paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of this turbulent period in Cambodia's history, with a particular emphasis on the country's later peace process and the events that contributed to its beginning and conclusion. It will then proceed to critically evaluate the lessons that can be drawn from Cambodia's peace process in the context of broader attempts to bring about peace settlements and long-term peace in other conflict- affected areas across the world.
The objective of this research study is to provide a solution to the following overall question: What can architects of peace from around the world learn from Cambodia's peace process for the benefit of creating and achieving long-term peace?