Beyond the Mekong

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Beyond the Mekong

Delve into Southeast Asian geopolitics with The Diplomat's Luke Hunt and guests who know the region and the issues.

  1. Making ‘Loot,’ a Film About Cambodian Crimes and Redemption

    APR 2

    Making ‘Loot,’ a Film About Cambodian Crimes and Redemption

    A conversation with director Don Millar.

    32 min
  2. Myanmar as a ‘Failed State’: A Political Scientist’s View

    MAR 24

    Myanmar as a ‘Failed State’: A Political Scientist’s View

    A conversation with academic and researcher Bradley Murg.[caption id="attachment_284703" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo by Luke Hunt.[/caption]

    39 min
  3. Eroding Electoral Integrity in Southeast Asia

    MAR 10

    Eroding Electoral Integrity in Southeast Asia

    A conversation with James Gomez from the Asia Centre.

    34 min

  4. MAR 3

    Myanmar: Situation Update with Paul Greening

    Cracking down on the human traffickers; will Rakhine fall to the AA?

    35 min
  5. Leaving Cambodia: A Conversation With Gerald Flynn

    FEB 11

    Leaving Cambodia: A Conversation With Gerald Flynn

    Why was the environmental journalist blocked from re-entering the country that he has called home since 2019?

    30 min
  6. Trump’s Sudden Impact and Implications For Southeast Asia

    FEB 4

    Trump’s Sudden Impact and Implications For Southeast Asia

    The administration's aid cuts, tariffs, and new China strategy are all set to further test ASEAN.

    34 min
  7. Pol Pot’s March Into Phnom Penh, 50 Years On

    JAN 16

    Pol Pot’s March Into Phnom Penh, 50 Years On

    Historian Henri Locard explains how Cambodia's communists differed from their counterparts in Vietnam.[audio mp3="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/thediplomat_2025-01-15-212351.mp3"][/audio] The fall of Indochina to communism in 1975 sharply changed the political dynamics of Southeast Asia within the framework of the Cold War. North Vietnam annexed the South, ending a decade of conflict but in Cambodia the arrival of the Khmer Rouge resulted in disaster. Pol Pot and his henchmen inflicted unprecedented carnage, genocide, forced labor camps, and sickness, claiming about 2 million lives, or about a third of this country’s population, after seizing Phnom Penh on April 17 and evacuating the capital. South Vietnam fell on April 30. The Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in late 1978 ended Pol Pot's tyrannical rule but civil war continued for another two decades, Paris Peace Accords and the 1992-93 United Nations peacekeeping operation that enabled Cambodia’s first democratic elections. At 85 years of age, French historian Henri Locard ranks among the best academics who have made Cambodia their life’s work. He first arrived here in 1964, and lived through some tumultuous years, authoring many books, including "Pol Pot’s Little Red Book." As the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge takeover approaches, Locard spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about the differences that separated the Vietnamese and Cambodian communists, including the importance of Nuon Chea who was "brother number two" to Pol Pot. He talks at length about the role former monarch Norodom Sihanouk played throughout the conflict, his relationships with neighboring countries and the United States, and the importance of Catholicism within the context of Vietnamese communism. Also important was Sihanouk’s relationship with friends like Nhiek Tioulong, the Cambodian politician who featured in many of his movies, and – like many of Sihanouk’s confidants – did not support communism. Since 2000, after retiring from the Université Lumière – Lyon 2, Locard has lived in Phnom Penh and worked as a consultant with the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. He is now a visiting professor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh lecturing in history.

    38 min
  8. Listening to the Geography of the Moon

    12/31/2024

    Listening to the Geography of the Moon

    An interview with musicians Andrea Rubbio and Virginia Bones.

    34 min
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    About

    Delve into Southeast Asian geopolitics with The Diplomat's Luke Hunt and guests who know the region and the issues.

    Information

    • Creator
      The Diplomat
    • Years Active
      2023 - 2025
    • Episodes
      106
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © 2025 Diplomat Media Inc.
    • Show Website
      Beyond the Mekong

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