Khmer Rouge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Khmer Rouge - Essay Example   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Khmer Rouge or Red Khmer - a communist party - governed in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. However, they remained active even after the fall of their regime by engaging in guerrilla fighting against the new government. In other words, they turned into a terrorist group. Although they do not seem to be active right now - they were dropped from the list of foreign terrorist organizations of the Department of State because they "ceased to exist as a viable terrorist organization" (Cronin, 2003) - the time when they were active is too close and, therefore, they cannot be ignored.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, bearing in mind the genocide that the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot carried out in Cambodia, we should assume that the potential threat from this group implies threat for the lives of many people.   Ã‚     The Khmer Rouge are the perpetrators of the frightful genocide in Cambodia from 1970s. Although the Pol Pot regime (1975-1979) with the killing fields and the horrors of mass destruction is now a thing of the past, the Khmer Rouge seem to never have changed: "There is little sign that the ideology, leadership or social regulations of the Khmer Rouge have change significantly since their bloody reign from 1975 to 1979." (PoKempner, 1995) This conclusion is based on a report by Human Rights Watch, based itself on observations from 1994 to 1995, almost 20 years after the end of the Pol Pot regime.   Ã‚     Such evidence shows that a group with a history like that of the Khmer Rouges has little potential for change. Therefore, we should expect that their disregard for human life has remained the same over the years and any anti terrorist strategy should be developed with regard to that fact.   Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to identify the specific military tactics of the Khmer Rouge so that we can be prepared for specific responses. Here are a few of the distinguishing characteristics of Khmer Rouge