In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare
A comprehensive, long-form history podcast about Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot regime.
Episodes
S3 Ep8: Terrorism, Rock & Roll and the Battle of Angkor Wat
How did a golden age of music emerge during the Cambodian Civil War?How did Lon Nol survive the fallout of Chenla II?What did the clashes between communist and government produce around Angkor?Time Period Covered: 1972In this episode, Lachlan returns to the view from Phnom Penh as the Cambodian Civil War truly begins to live up to its name. The Khmer Rouge had amassed tens of thousands of troops
S3 Ep7: How to Get Out of a War in Indochina - Nixon, Mao, and the Balance of Power
Time Period Covered: 1971 – 1973How do you get out of a war without losing it?What did Nixon’s opening to China have to do with Vietnam?And how much of “peace” in 1972 was about diplomacy, and how much was about the election?In this episode, Lachlan examines the pivotal year of 1972. North Vietnam launches the Spring Offensive, the largest conventional campaign of the war, while American air powe
S3: Interview: Maoism, the Three Ghosts, and the Khmer Rouge with Matt Galway
In this extended interview, I’m joined by historian Matt Galway, author of Global Maoism, to unpack the intellectual, ideological, and historical foundations of Maoism and Cambodian communism.We begin with Galway’s academic background and how the Khmer Rouge became a central focus of his research, before moving into core Marxist concepts such as dialectics, contradiction, and why communists histo
S3 Ep6: 1972 - Life (and Death) in the Liberated Zones: Regrets for the Khmer Soul and M13
Check out my visit to M13 at YouTube or https://www.patreon.com/Time Period Covered: 1971 - 1972Why would someone join the Khmer Rouge?How would people view the parts of the country that were now being run by the communists?What was M13 and why is it so important?In this episode, Lachlan returns to discuss one of the most invaluable insights into the proto-type regime of Democratic Kampuchea and
S3: Interview: The Super Great Leap Forward and the Khmer Rouge Prison System with Henri Locard
This episode is a follow-up to the two-hour discussion I had with historian Henri Locard. The video of that full conversation is available for free on Patreon right here (or just go to https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia) - no sign up required.Henri Locard is a prominent scholar of the Khmer Rouge, he testified as an expert witness at the ECCC, and has written extensively on the subject. Most
S3: Interview: Who Killed Haing Ngor? With Patricia Nunan
You've seen The Killing Fields, you probably know that Haing Ngor, who played Dith Pran in the film won an oscar. You might also know that he was murdered in Los Angeles. But the version of that story you've known for years... isn't true.Patricia Nunan, or MP, is a veteran journalist who has worked for a variety of well regarded institutions. She is now tackling the murder of Haing Ngo - completel
S3: Bonus: A Recount of My Interview With an Ex-Khmer Rouge Doctor
This is an episode that could be listened to if you’d like, or if you’d prefer to watch it (without ads!) then head to https://patreon.com/shadowsofutopia and watch it for free, no sign ups, no obligations. It's a nice pleasant video, and just one click away.In this bonus episode, I sit down to go through and explain an interview I recently conducted with an ex-Khmer Rouge doctor, who we will refe
S3: Interview: Witness to the end of the Second Indochina Wars with Jim Laurie
In this bonus podcast episode, I’ve invited veteran journalist Jim Laurie to reflect on a lifetime spent amid global upheaval. From the Nixon incursion into Cambodia to the oblivious tranquility of Phnom Penh before war erupted—Laurie shares his remarkable memories, including a poignant love story with a local woman, a comparison between the wars in Saigon and Cambodia, and the shock of revisiting
S3 Ep5: Chenla II: Lon Nol Strikes Out
What was the political fallout from Lon Nol's Stroke?How did race and religion become such a key theme of his regime?What led to the worst military defeat of the Cambodian Civil War?Time Period Covered: March - December 1971In this episode, Lon Nol returns to Cambodia after recoving from a mild stroke in Hawaii. While many hoped he might step aside, and that the US might provoke a change in leader
S3: Interview: Explaining The 2025 Thai Cambodian Border Crisis with Sebastian Strangio
In this episode, I talk with journalist and author Sebastian Strangio about the border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand that have escalated in July 2025. Sebastian is the Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat and one of the region’s leading journalists. He’s a former reporter at the Phnom Penh Post, and the author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia (re-released as Cambodia: From Pol Pot to Hun Sen and Be
S3: (Bonus) A Brief History of the Thai Cambodian Border Dispute
Hello everyone, I've put together a quick look at the long history of the Thai Cambodia border dispute to compliment what I'm sure many of you are reading and watching in newspapers and on television. The escalation is far from good, and I hope it simmers down back to - as I'll discuss - a normal state of not-quite-peaceful.I cover the history from 900 CE to 2025, and everything from the 1794 retr
S3 Ep4: The Khmer Republic: The Lon Nol Line and Chenla I
How did the Khmer Republic try to take back control of Cambodia?Time Period Covered: June 1970 - January 1971In this episode, we follow the Lon Nol government as it attempts to prove that the Khmer Republic can fight and win. After the initial chaos of the coup and the brief U.S. incursion, Cambodia’s leaders launch their first large-scale offensive: Operation Chenla I. We look at how the Cambodi
S3 Ep3: Pol Pot Rises
Why was Duch released from prison on April 3rd, 1970?How did Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge transition from small guerrilla enclaves to administering huge areas of Cambodia?What exactly was “Independence Mastery,” and why was it so central to the Khmer Rouge mindset? Time Period Covered: April 1970 – July 1971 In this episode, we pivot from Lon Nol’s takeover to the Cambodian communist perspective, e
S3 Ep2: The Invasion - Part Two: A Vietnamese War In Cambodia
Why did Nixon invade Cambodia in May 1970?What impact did the 'Cambodian Incursion' have on the war in Vietnam?How did this effect Cambodia?Time Period Covered: May - June 1970In part two of our discussion about the situation in Cambodia after the coup which pushed Sihanouk from power, we see how the Nixon Whitehouse responded to the crisis facing Cambodia.Lachlan asks whether the decision that Ni
S3 Ep1: The Invasion - Part One: Counting Bodies Floating Down the Mekong
What was the crisis facing the new Cambodian Government in April 1970?Why were the Vietnamese communities subjected to massacres?What circumstances led to a US invasion into Cambodia?Time Period Covered: April 1970In this episode Lachlan explores the horrible aftermath of the coup against Sihanouk, a panicked new regime produced a pogrom against an innocent group of civilians. The Communist Vietna
S2 Ep19: Season 2 Recap - Cambodian History from Independence to Civil War
Lachlan takes you back through the more than 30 hours of Season 2's storyline that took us through 15 years of Cambodian history. Support the show at https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.html
S2 Ep18: A Cambodian Coup! The "Red Prince" Falls
Were the CIA responsible for the coup against Sihanouk?Why did Lon Nol and Sirik Matak finally make a move against the prince?What did Sihanouk’s removal from power mean for the Khmer Rouge?Time Period Covered 1969 - 1970In the final episode of this season, Lachlan covers the circumstances that surround the plot to remove Norodom Sihanouk from his position as head of state. Lon Nol and Sirik Matak
S2 Ep17: Death From Above 1969: Operation Menu and Nixon's Madman Theory
How did Cambodia become the ‘key’ to Nixon’s plan to end the Vietnam War?What was the secret bombing of Cambodia?How many bombs did the US drop on Cambodia?What factors led to the end of Sihanouk’s leadership of the country?Time Period Covered 1968 - 1969In this episode Lachlan looks at the gradually degrading situation in Cambodia, and the destabilization prior to a change in the Whitehouse that
S2 Ep16: Interview: "Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot" with Elizabeth Becker
How many journalists were able to set foot in Cambodia before the revolution, during the revolution and after the revolution?Not many.Elizabeth Becker is one of those people. In 1973 she began covering the war in Cambodia, in 1978 she was part of a three person delegation which saw the first western journalists to enter into Democratic Kampuchea. There she was witness to, as she describes it a "Tw
S2 Ep15: Tet - Part Two: The My Lai Massacre
What role does the Tet Offensive play in the My Lai Massacre?What circumstances in troop deployment and officer training influenced what happened?Why were more than 500 civilians murdered by Charlie Company?Time Period Covered December 1967 - March 1968In this episode, Lachlan confronts the horrors that occurred in My Lai on the 16th of March 1968. He attempts to answer why more than 500 civilians
S2 Ep14: Interview: "Prisoners of Class" with Matt Madden
Lachlan sits down with Matt Madden, translator of Chan Samoeun’s Prisoners of Class. The book, having been recently released in English for the first time, is an amazing example of a Khmer Rouge survivor memoir. They discuss Matt’s journey in finding the original book, meeting the author and translating it over many years. The book itself, including amazing details and descriptions of the world o
S2 Ep13: Tet - Part One: Hue
What did the Tet offensive achieve?How was the Battle of Hue waged?Why were almost 3000 people murdered by the Viet Cong?Time Period Covered 1968This episode covers the Tet Offensive of early 1968. Lachlan links the media coverage of the event, with the extreme scenes in Saigon, to the reality of the offensive and what the communists hoped to achieve. In Hue, perhaps the most stunning battle of th
S2 Ep12: The Cambodian Civil War Begins - Part Two: A Revolution Waged With Empty Hands
How did the CPK develop their plan to genuinely start a war in Cambodia?Why did Sihanouk seek rapprochment with the United States?How did the bombing of Cambodia begin?Time Period Covered 1967-1968January 1968 will prove to be a pivotal month for the Vietnamese, Cambodian and American interests in the war. This episode details how the Cambodian communist movement finally began an armed struggle ag
S2 Ep11: Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
What led to Mao's launching of a 'cultural revolution' in the People's Republic?What were the aims of this movement?Why did perhaps a million people die at the hands of their countrymen in less than four years?Time Period Covered 1964 - 1969In what could be considered a belated "Part Two" to the episode introducing Maoism and the Great Leap Forward, Lachlan revisits China and attempts to explain t
S2 Ep9: Interview: "Son Ngoc Thanh, a Khmer Nationalist" with Matthew Jagel
Special guest Matthew Jagel joins Lachlan to talk about his new book: Khmer Nationalist. The book is an exploration of Cambodian history using Son Ngoc Thanh as the central focus, and they join up to talk about Cambodian nationalism, the influence of Imperial Japan, Sihanouk's antagonism, the Khmer Serei and the CIA. Visit https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501769337/khmer-nationalist/
S2 Ep10: The Cambodian Civil War Begins - Part One: The Samlaut Rebellion and the Three Ghosts
What was the Samlaut Rebellion, and how did it start?Who was responsible for this outbreak of violence?What leads to Khieu Samphan disappearing over night?Time Period Covered 1967In the first part of an explanation of how the Cambodian Civil War begins, Lachlan looks into the circumstances which lead to an outbreak of violence in the province of Battambang. Then on April 2, 1967, a series of murde
S2 Ep8: Rolling Thunder in Vietnam, Clouds Over Cambodia
How does the "Vietnam War" begin?How did the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) get its name?Why did Sihanouk start making so many movies in the 1960's?Time Period Covered 1964 - 1967In this episode, Lachlan revisits Vietnam as LBJ wages war upon the North and the Viet Cong. Pol Pot leaves the jungle to visit Hanoi, and Beijing, and changes the direction of Khmer Communism. Meanwhile, in Cambodia,
S2 Ep7: A Khmer Rouge Ideology and Sihanouk's Dark Side
Who was Nuon Chea?What does Buddhism have to do with Khmer Rouge ideology?Why did Sihanouk sever ties with the United States? Time Period Covered 1963 - 1965In this episode we explore the impact of the fateful year of 1963 in Cambodia, as well as the circumstances that the new Cambodian communist leadership were dealing with in the Vietnamese jungle. We also look at the difference between two infl
S2 Ep6: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part Three: Agent Orange, Kennedy and the Buddhist Crisis
What is Agent Orange and why did the Kennedy Administration decide to use it? How did Diem's Regime collapse? What was the Buddhist Crisis?Time Period Covered 1961 - 1963In the final part of our exploration into the beginnings of the "Vietnam War", we look at the circumstances surrounding the early Kennedy years and how a 'prudent' approach to South Vietnam resulted in a number of problems, both
S2 Ep5: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part Two: The CIA, NLF and Diem
How did a succession of US administrations become stuck in Vietnam? How did Diem's policies create the conditions for insurgency? What did the early activities of the NLF look like?Time Period Covered 1954 - 1961In part two of our exploration of the path to the Second Indochina War, we focus on early American efforts to create a stable regime in South Vietnam. The activities of the CIA and Edward
S2 Ep4: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part One: The Two Vietnams
What occurred in a divided Vietnam in the aftermath of the Geneva Accords? How did so many die during the North Vietnamese “Land Reform Campaign”? Why was South Vietnam described as an ‘emerging fascist state’?Time Period Covered 1954 - 1963In this first part of a kind of mini-series on the origins of the Vietnam War, Lachlan investigates the state building in the divided Vietnam. Exploring the id
S2 Ep3: The Khmer Rouge's New Vanguard
How did Pol Pot become leader of the Khmer Rouge? What did prominent communists like Khieu Samphan do in Sihanouk’s Cambodia?Were there limits to Sihanouk’s power and tightrope act? Time Period Covered 1960-1963We begin with a reflection on how Cambodian history can permeate even seemingly mundane spaces, before looking in on a secret communist seminar led by the new leader of the Khmer Rouge. Thi
S2 Ep2: Maoism, the Great Leap Forward / Famine and the Sino-Soviet Split
Why was one of the most prominent slogans of the Khmer Rouge about a "super great leap forward"?What is Maoism and why did the People's Republic of China provide a new ideological source for the world?Why did the USSR and the PRC split in the 1960s?Time Period Covered 1949 - 1962This episode could be considered the third instalment in the history of communist ideology of the series. Lachlan discus
S2 Ep1: Les Khmers Rouges: Double Lives in Sihanouk's Golden Era
How does the Communist Party of Kampuchea form? How does Saloth Sar become a married man and teacher? What are the consequences of Sihanouk’s neutral foreign policy?Time Period Covered 1955-1960As peace broke out over Cambodia in the wake of the First Indochina War, the fledgling communist movement had to learn to survive in a newly independent country under the rule of Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Nu
S1 Ep15: Season One Recap - Cambodian History from Angkor to Independence
This bonus episode is for those who would like to remind themselves of the topics covered in the first season of the podcast, or for new listeners who might want a simple overview of Cambodian history as it relates to the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge. This is an introduction to the themes of the series as a whole, the aims of the podcast, the Khmer Empire, the conditions relating to Cambodia's
S1 Ep14: The End of French Indochina: Dien Bien Phu, Geneva and “Citizen Sihanouk”
How does the First Indochina War end? What do the Geneva Accords mean for Cambodia? Who wins the 1955 Cambodian general election?Time Period Covered December 1953 – July 1955Cambodia faces Viet Minh assaults around the country as the First Indochina War comes to its climax, but the French will suffer their most stunning defeat at Dien Bien Phu. World powers will convene to find a solution to the c
S1 Ep13: Sihanouk’s Royal Crusade for Cambodian Independence
How does Cambodian Independence day originate in November 1953? What does the First Indochina War look like in Cambodia? How does a young Pol Pot 'join the maquis'?Time Period Covered January – December 1953 This episode explains the actions of King Sihanouk that one French General declared were ‘that of a madman, but a madman of genius’. Almost out of the blue the Cambodian king will claim indepe
S1 Ep12: Pol Pot in Paris and the Khmer Issarak – Part Two
How did the First Indochina War become part of the Cold War? When did the Khmer students studying in Paris become communists? What influenced Saloth Sar to become a revolutionary?Time Period Covered 1947-1953This episode explains the way that the first ‘Vietnam War’ began developing into something recognisably part of the Cold War. We also trace the path of the young Pol Pot as his studies in Pari
S1 Ep12: Interview: ‘Extraordinary Justice at the Khmer Rouge Tribunals’ with Dr Craig Etcheson
Craig Etcheson is currently visiting scientist at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, and he was a founder of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, he has been studying the Khmer Rouge regime for more than thirty years. He worked as an investigator of the prosecution at the ECCC between 2006-2012, and testified at the tribunal as an expert witness. He recently published a book titled "Extra
S1 Ep11: Pol Pot in Paris and the Khmer Issarak - Part One
What does the anti-colonial scene look like in Cambodia? Who are the Khmer Issarak and how do nationalists and young Cambodian students relate to this movement as well as the growing war in Vietnam with the returning French? Time Period Covered 1945 - 1950Saloth Sar, the young Pol Pot, will arrive in Paris in October 1949. In this episode we trace the path that he takes to get there, as well as th
S1 Ep10: Cambodia in the Second World War: Son Ngoc Thanh, Japan and a Brief Independence
What is the Umbrella Revolt in Cambodia? How do nationalists like Son Ngoc Thanh react to the rise of Imperial Japan? What are the circumstances surrounding the choice of Norodom Sihanouk as the new Cambodian king in 1941 - as a 19 year old?Time Period Covered: 1939 - 1945This episode is an in-depth discussion of the events in Cambodia and Vietnam that occurred once the French presence in Indochin
S1 Ep9: The Origins of Communism - Part Two - Soviet
How do you build a society out of the theories of Marx and Engels? Who was Lenin and why is he such an important communist figure? How did communism come to Indochina?Time Period Covered: 1917 - 1939Beginning with Lenin being sent into the fragile Russian Empire in 1917, this episode is a discussion of the evolution of Marxism from 'theory' to 'practise'. This creates a new version of the 'doctrin
S1 Ep8: The Origins of Communism - Part One - Marx and Engels
Who are the proletariat? Who wrote the Communist Manifesto? What was the context in which it was written?Time Period Covered 1842 – 1900This episode is intended to function as an introduction to the ideas of Marx and Engels, and more broadly to 'communism'. We begin with some common phrases used by the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their cadre that highlight the ideology of the movement. We the
S1 Ep7: The French Protectorate, Rural Life and the Rise of Cambodian Nationalism
What did French control of Cambodia look like? How did this ‘Protectorate’ function? What are the origins of Cambodian nationalism? What was life like for your average Khmer in the early 20th century?Time Period Covered 1880 – 1938This episode centres around Cambodian history as the French instigate the colonisation of Indochina. We learn about the early reactions to French rule, as well as the tr
S1 Ep6: The Dawn of French Indochina
What happened in the years leading up the French colonisation of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? How did Cambodian rulers become so dependent on either Siam or Vietnam for protection? Time period covered: 1789 - 1887In this episode, Lachlan bridges the gap between Cambodia’s ‘middle period’ and the dawn of French colonisation of Indochina. Beginning with the French revolution and its links with the ev
S1 Ep6: Interview: David Chandler on Cambodian History and Genocide
Professor David Chandler is perhaps the most widely recognised and respected scholar of Cambodian history. Author of books such as A History of Cambodia, Brother Number One, Voices from S-21 and The Tragedy of Cambodian History, David has also testified as an expert witness on two occasions during the trial of former leaders of the Khmer Rouge. I had the privilege to sit down with Professor Chandl
S1 Ep5: Cambodia After Angkor - Part Two
How will the forces of Imperialism and Colonialism come to the region of Indochina? What role will Europeans play in shaping what will eventually become the state of Cambodia?Time period covered: 1500 - 1825Cambodia’s transitionary period will also see the start of European influence in the region. What did these early encounters look like? The ridiculous story of Ruiz and Veloso, two ‘adventurers
S1 Ep4: Cambodia After Angkor - Part One
How did the Khmer go from a civilisation which dominated most of mainland Southeast Asia, to a reduced vassal state of either the Siamese or the Vietnamese? Why did the capital move from Angkor? Why are the Vietnamese the ‘hereditary enemy’ of the Khmer?Time period covered: 1431 - 1800The next part of the series is hugely important for establishing the context of Cambodia in the 20th century, and
S1: Interview: 'Visualising Angkor' with Tom Chandler
Tom Chandler is a senior lecturer at Monash University. His research has focused upon the design and development of immersive simulations of the past, particularly the medieval Cambodian capital of Angkor. In what is the first interview of the series Lachlan speaks with Tom about how immersive virtual recreations can transform our imagination of the 'skeletal remains' of Angkor. The uses of this r
S1 Ep4: The Rise of the Khmer and Angkor (Part Three)
(This is a new release for the first season - designed to be the third and final part of a replacement of the first Angkor episodes. If you are a long time listener, please make sure you've got the new longer versions of part one and two before listening to this part or watch the full documentary on YouTube).Time Period Covered: 1296 – 1600 CEWhat was Angkor actually like to walk through? What re
S1 Ep3: The Rise of the Khmer and Angkor (Part Two)
Time Period Covered: 802 – 1296 CEHow do you build the largest city in the medieval world? What does it actually take to construct Angkor Wat? And what happens when the greatest king in Khmer history dies and leaves an empire stretched to its limits?In this episode, Lachlan traces the rise of the Khmer Empire from Jayavarman II's ceremony on Phnom Kulen to the death of Jayavarman VII, the most pr
S1 Ep2: The Rise of the Khmer and Angkor (Part One)
Watch The Full YouTube Documentary Here: https://youtu.be/RfEnSrw-hMU This is part one of a new three part introduction to Angkor and Khmer civilisation, if you are a long-time listener, please make sure to re-download this episode.Time Period Covered: Pre-history – 850 CEWho are the Khmer people, and where did they come from? What is the Tonle Sap, and why does it make Angkor possible? And why d
S1 Ep1: An Introduction to the Khmer Rouge, the Killing Fields and the 'Cambodian Genocide'
How would you react to being forced out of your home at gunpoint, ordered to leave all of your belongings behind, and instructed to walk for days, weeks and months, to an unknown fate in the countryside?And that is just the beginning of the nightmare. The first episode of the series is intended to be a very basic introduction to the the complex set of circumstances that Cambodia faced midway thr
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