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> when the US was arming Pol Pot starting in 1979. There is no concrete evidence the US armed the Khmer Rouge. At best, there is some evidence that some of th

> when the US was arming Pol Pot starting in 1979. There is no concrete evidence the US armed the Khmer Rouge. At best, there is some evidence that some of the non-lethal aid provided to rival groups might have made it to the Khmer Rouge, but that's a far cry from arming them.

feedforward 2y ago
When Sihanouk and the communists are in alliance in 1975, and the head of state is Sihanouk - everything is blamed on the "Khmer Rouge", whatever that means. When the US begins arming the coalition of Sihanouk and the communists in 1979, then all the arms are going to "rival groups" in the Sihanouk/communist coalition. It's ridiculous.
- Aloisius 2y ago
  Even if you can't tell the KPNLF from the Khmer Rouge, the US didn't arm the KPNLF either. It provided non-lethal aid.
  - feedforward 2y ago
    The KPNLF were in a coalition government from 1982 on with Sihanouk and the communists, whom you call the "Khmer Rouge". In fact the coalition with the communists happened as soon as the US began funding them - it was probably ordered by the US. Any how, the US fairly openly armed what you call the Khmer Rouge, I guess a sliver of plausible deniability is enough for the minority of people like you who want to deny it. Nightline even did a whole segment on it.
    - Aloisius 2y ago
      Conflating the KPNLF with the Khmer Rouge, a group they were literally formed to fight - whose members suffered during Pol Pot's reign of terror, because they joined a coalition government in exile for expedience is just nonsense. The Red Khmer were Communists. The KPNLF were essentially strong armed into a coalition government by the Thai - who threatened to cut them off from aid and boot them from the country - and to gain international recognition and aid. They waited until the last possible moment to join and remained hostile towards the Khmer Rouge. If you have a link to this Nightline episode, I'd love to see it. I couldn't find it.
      - feedforward 2y ago
        It was called "From the Killing Fields".

feedforward 2y ago

When Sihanouk and the communists are in alliance in 1975, and the head of state is Sihanouk - everything is blamed on the "Khmer Rouge", whatever that means. When the US begins arming the coalition of Sihanouk and the communists in 1979, then all the arms are going to "rival groups" in the Sihanouk/communist coalition. It's ridiculous.

Aloisius 2y ago
Even if you can't tell the KPNLF from the Khmer Rouge, the US didn't arm the KPNLF either. It provided non-lethal aid.
- feedforward 2y ago
  The KPNLF were in a coalition government from 1982 on with Sihanouk and the communists, whom you call the "Khmer Rouge". In fact the coalition with the communists happened as soon as the US began funding them - it was probably ordered by the US. Any how, the US fairly openly armed what you call the Khmer Rouge, I guess a sliver of plausible deniability is enough for the minority of people like you who want to deny it. Nightline even did a whole segment on it.
  - Aloisius 2y ago
    Conflating the KPNLF with the Khmer Rouge, a group they were literally formed to fight - whose members suffered during Pol Pot's reign of terror, because they joined a coalition government in exile for expedience is just nonsense. The Red Khmer were Communists. The KPNLF were essentially strong armed into a coalition government by the Thai - who threatened to cut them off from aid and boot them from the country - and to gain international recognition and aid. They waited until the last possible moment to join and remained hostile towards the Khmer Rouge. If you have a link to this Nightline episode, I'd love to see it. I couldn't find it.
    - feedforward 2y ago
      It was called "From the Killing Fields".