Beyond a general awareness that there may have been a Western academic apologist or two among the victims of the Khmer Rouge, I knew nothing of the strange tale of Malcolm Caldwell's fatal holiday in Cambodia till I read this fascinating piece in the Observer. Quite a story.
(via Norm Geras, who adds apt comments.)
Posted by Dr. Frank at January 12, 2010 07:48 AM | TrackBackThe article used that quote from Jean-François Revel ("Utopia is not under the slightest obligation to produce results: its sole function is to allow its devotees to condemn what exists in the name of what does not") to chilling effect.
As a Westerner, it's a bit sad how few things I know about Cambodia; Pol Pot and Year Zero, the Dead Kennedys song you referenced, sex tourism and the fact that they had an incredibly fertile garage rock underground in the sixties.
Posted by: jeffen at January 12, 2010 08:02 PM