ABSTRACT
In 1954 Cambodia achieved independence from France. From that point in time the leader of Cambodia, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, conducted a foreign policy of neutrality. He believed that this was the only policy option that would guarantee Cambodia's independence in the alarming atmosphere of an accelerating Cold War. Yet Sihanouk's concept of neutrality was not merely an extempore Cold War construct, but instead reflected a much deeper experience of Southeast Asian history. In the early 1950s, Sihanouk had defined Cambodian neutrality as a bulwark against the age-old hostility of his irridentist neighbours, Vietnam and Thailand. It is worthwhile stressing at the outset that tensions between the regional players in mainland Southeast Asia - Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - have a long historical tradition. Moreover, the clandestine aspects of these deeper struggles frequently cut across the requirements of anti-Communism, as identified by London and Washington.
