ABSTRACT
As if an illustration of the time-worn maxim that those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it, the Cambodian history wheel seems poised to begin anew the cycle of destruction and despair that has become familiar in recent decades. Neither the world community nor Cambodians themselves seem able to profit from the lessons of the past. Judging by their behaviour in recent international events, nations that once could be relied upon to uphold principles of civil and human rights are now willing to cast a blind eye to devastation rather than risk conflict. Order and stability seem more highly prized values than the democratic principles that once drove much of international interaction.
