The Threat From the Khmer Rouge - Essay Example

This paper explores the potential threat from the Khmer Rouge as a terrorist group and makes a proposal for action against any terrorist activity from this group. The different aspects of  the threat from the group are explored by focusing on the history, military tactics, ideology, etc. of the Khmer Rouge. Then the possible approaches towards the threat from the group are discussed. Using both  knowledge on the group and knowledge on basic approaches towards terrorist groups in general, the most suitable plan for action is proposed. The plan consists of nine tages which are explained individually and in detail. 1. The threat of the Khmer Rouge         1) Overview          Brief history     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.     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.     Distinct trait of Khmer Rouge actions: disregard for human life     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.     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.        2) Traits of Khmer Rouge military tactics     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 warfare:     - Usage of landmines     The usage of landmines is an essential part of the warfare of the Khmer Rouge. "Roughly half the country has sizeable concentrations of landmines, which claim hundreds of victims each month. ... Neither the Khmer Rouge nor the government usually maps its minefields, and both sides lay landmines indiscriminately around civilian areas " (PoKempner, 1995).    - Guerrilla warfare     After the fall of their regime, the Khmer Rouge started employing guerrilla tactics against the government. Therefore, it should be expected that, should the terrorist group resume its activity, the guerrilla warfare will be its main occupation.     - "Scorched earth" tactics     This tactic is an important aspect of the guerrilla warfare, employed by the Khmer Rouge: "This report, based on three missions to Cambodia between March 1994 and February 1995, documents cases of murder, rape, hostage taking, and the use of famine as a weapon by the Khmer Rouge in their new "scorched earth" tactics."(PoKempner, 1995). The "scorched earth" tactics includes "deliberate and usually widespread destruction of property and resources (as housing and factories) so that an invading enemy cannot use them" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)     Objects of the "scorched earth" tactic may be various facilities - transportation and communication infrastructure, facilities with economic significance, etc.         3) Ideology and religion     - Communist ideology and totalitarianism     The Khmer Rouge - Red Khmer - were a communist party and the Pol Pot regime was totalitarian. This should be taken into consideration when designing anti terrorist plans. For example, it can be assumed that the structure of the terrorist group has the features of communist guerrilla groups - it is probably centralized, with a distinct center of power.     - Religion     During the past few decades we have witnessed the rise of religious terrorism, a "dark alliance between religion and violence" (Juergensmeyer, 2003). However, with the Khmer Rouge this might not be the case. As every communist group, the Khmer Rouge not only have no religious motives, but they also deny religion. During the reign of Pol Pot "private property and religion were banned" (Bergin, 2008). Therefore, religious motivation can be excluded when learning about the practices of the Khmer Rouge.     4) International support and finance     If a terrorist group is to oppose to the official authority in a state, it seems logical that this group will need some kind of foreign support, especially from one or more neighboring states. Indeed, "there is little doubt that the guerrillas rely on the ability to trade and move across the Thai border to sustain their activities." (PoKempner, 1995) This is a very important aspect of the potential threat from the Khmer Rouge.     The potential danger of foreign support is in the possibilities of supplying arms for the terrorists, as well as ligistic support.     5) Communications     Distinct trait of many contemporary terrorist groups is the use of new technologies and especially the Internet. In the case of the Khmer Rouge, however, the possibilities of such usage are limited. Cambodia has too few Internet hosts and Internet users (2, 480 in 2009 and 74, 000 in 2008, respectively, CIA Factbook). Compared to the rest of the world, Cambodia is far behind in the usage of new technologies.     However, this does not mean that usage of Internet sites, aimed at foreign audiences, is not possible. Yet this does not seem a likely approach in e potential Khmer Rouge campaign, as the foreign representation and reputation dont seem to be of great importance to this group. 2. Possible approaches and their limitations     1) Decrease public presence    Publicity is a very important aspect of terrorist acts - "terrorism is inherently about attracting attention and publicity" (Hoffman, 2006). One of the main goals of such activities is namely to attract the attention towards the terrorist group, its demands, etc. Therefore, a possible anti terrorist technique would be to lessen the PR effect of the terrorist acts through the decrease of the public presence of the terrorist group.     However, in the case of the Khmer Rouge, this may not be an adequate technique. The history of this particular terrorist group indicates no reliance on publicity. Unlike the kidnapping of a plane or the act of taking hostages, the actions of the Khmer Rouge (during their regime in Cambodia and afterwards, during the guerrilla fightings) were not intended to become center of international attention. On the contrary, they were more of a cruel strain of events which wasnt meant to reach the headlines. It did, but that was not their goal.     Therefore, if publicity was taken away from the actions of the Khmer Rouge, there is little chance that they will just stop their terrorist activities, so this approach may not be the most suitable.     2) Accent on the groups international reputation     Another tactic would be to make the terrorist groups believe that their terrorist activities will interfere with their international reputation and will lessen their chances of legitimately achieving their political goals. This is an idea discussed by Bruce Hoffman in "Inside Terrorism". This seems a legitimate approach if we consider the political meaning of terrorist acts in general. Such actions are always meant to make a political statement, therefore the reputation of the terrorist group in front of the international community is crucial.     However, in the case of the Khmer Rouge this may not be a valid concern. Bearing in mind their history of totalitarian regime and genocide, there is little chance that they will be bothered about their international reputation. Therefore, this is not a very suitable tactic in this case.     3) Cultural approach towards the terrorist group     This is a complicated proposal as it includes research, analysis and a plan, based on them. It implies time, resources and, most of all, skillful researchers.     The cultural approach is suggested by Mark Juergensmeyer in Terror in the Mind of God:  "In order to respond to religious terrorism in a way that is effective and does not produce more terrorism in response, I believe it is necessary to understand why such acts occur."(Juergensmeyer, 2003)     Although, as noted before, we have little reason to apply tactics for responding to religious terrorism to the Khmer Rouge, the general idea is very suitable. A cultural understanding of the Khmer Rouge - including their history, motivation, means of warfare, etc. - is a very good way to build counterterrorist plans.     Based on this method a proposal for action is suggested. 3. Action proposal - stages:     1) Assigning the task of acquiring cultural knowledge to a special unit     A unit should be prepared of specialists in Khmer culture, language and history. That unit should be small and effective. Its main task should be acquiring, organizing and systematizing everything that we know about the Khmer Rouge - the history of the political party that later turned into a terrorist group; the ideology behind the group; the prominent representatives of the Khmer Rouge and their role in the group; the period when the Khmer Rouge were in power - the atrocities, the genocide, etc.     2) Infiltrating     After acquiring cultural knowledge about the group, it should be used in the best possible way. Special agents, trained by the special unit, should be infiltrated within the Khmer Rouge, if possible, so that the tactics and goals of the group may be thoroughly learned. Knowledge on their specific warfare tactics - including the usage of landmines, "scorched earth" tactics and other guerrilla techniques - will be a priority. With this additional knowledge, which will, most importantly, be up to date, plans can be made to counter any terrorist act.     3) Learning the military tactics of the Khmer Rouge as a terrorist group     Meanwhile, in our headquarters, the military experience and tactics of the Khmer Rouge should be carefully studied so that counter attack plans can be devised in the event of a terrorist act or threat.     4) Involvement of the Cambodian government     The current government of Cambodia should also be involved as it would be an ally in the battle against the Khmer Rouge whose primary goal most probably would be to overthrow the acting government. The authorities have the resources that state power gives and they can be used in a campaign against terrorism and the Khmer Rouge. This includes usage of administration, military personnel and media.     For the purpose of receiving help from the government, constant communication between the Cambodian officials and US Department of State should be maintained. It is also crucial to be aware of the potential danger of terrorists monitoring communications.     5) Ensuring the safety of the civilians     The civilians safety should always be a priority. As it was noted before, the tactics of the Khmer Rouge include full disregard for human life, therefore we should assume that all kinds of attacks are possible, including attacks on civilians. Such acts should be expected and measures should be taken so that civilian casualties are avoided. In this part of the plan, the governments assistance is necessary.     For example, the safety of civilians can be taken care of by increasing the presence of administrative and military personnel in all the major cities where lots of people are concentrated. However, the rural parts should not be forgotten, as they are even more difficult to protect. Also, bearing in mind the inclination of the Khmer Rouge towards guerrilla techniques, we should expect greater danger for the less populated areas. Therefore, they should be specially guarded.     6) Relations with Cambodias neighboring states     The cultural approach should include not only research on the Khmer Rouge themselves, but also research on Cambodias neighboring states (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam). What is their opinion on the Khmer Rouge, how have they acted in response to the totalitarian regime, what are their relations with Cambodia in the present, is there evidence of them supporting any rebellious and/or terrorist groups - the answers to these questions will determine the plan of action concerning the neighboring countries.     Action towards neighbor states is essential for yet another reason - the region of South-Eastern Asia is distant from the US both geographically and culturally. Therefore, knowledge on the surroundings of Cambodia - political, economic, and military - is crucial for our preparation.     If any of the neighboring states is aiding the Khmer Rouge, there should be specially designed policy towards that state. The state in question should be peacefully made to realize that the aid for a terrorist group is not only immoral, but also politically unwise as the international community does not tolerate states that support terrorism. If necessary, economic measures may be employed so that the state in question realizes that cooperation with the international community is more important than the support for a terrorist group. During all these actions the diplomatic services of the US will have a central role.    7) Monitoring of the borders    The practice of having a sanctuary outside the country where they act is common in terrorist groups. Apparently terrorists need "a foreign base beyond the reach of their enemy in order to better sustain and promote a protracted terrorist campaign" (Hoffman, 2006). Therefore, it may be expected that the Khmer Rouge will have some kind of a base outside Cambodia, most probably in one of their neighboring countries. This possibility should be carefully looked into and a monitoring process should be started at the borders of Cambodia. This will ensure that no terrorist passing will remain unnoticed and that a potential hiding place of the Khmer Rouge outside Cambodia will be duly located.    8) Other proactive measures     More proactive measures should be taken. Once we have learned as much as possible about the Khmer Rouge through the cultural approach, we should devise a plan - with the help of both the special unit and the infiltrated agents - for the active search of possible Khmer Rouge members and supporters in Cambodia. This will be no easy task, as it must not be carried out in a "witch hunt" manner. In a country where the memory of a genocide still lives, the obvious search for terrorists has the potential to bring back fear and insecurity in peoples minds. Therefore, the search should be carried out mostly by non-physical means - inquiries, infiltrating in suspicious communities, monitoring of communications.     9) Special attention to landmines     As noted above, landmines are an issue in Cambodia. Even if we hope that no new landmines are planted by the Khmer Rouge, the old ones are a threat in themselves. They are not only dangerous for the local people, but also for the agents we are proposing to send in Cambodia. This is too great a risk and it should be decreased as much as possible. The aid of the Cambodian government must be sought in order to resolve that issue. Needless to say, the removal of landmines should be carried out with greatest caution and professionalism. The ones that we cannot remove for some reason should at least be mapped for security reasons.     10) Public image of the plan against the Khmer Rouge     Should the plan for fighting the threat from the Khmer Rouge be started, it is crucial to ensure positive public image of these measures within the US. As it is impossible to hide such operations from the media, we must ourselves give the press the information we want to give, naturally, omitting and carefully guarding classified information. The public should be acquainted with the threat that the Khmer Rouge represent so that there are no negative opinions concerning either the operation or the US government. It is also very important to stress the necessity of the US interference in Cambodia in case the Khmer Rouge resume their terrorist activities. The history of genocide and mass murder during the Pol Pot regime should be told to the general public so that a common understanding is achieved that we have the obligation to prevent any further atrocities against the Cambodian people from happenning. References: Bergin, S. 2008. The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide. Cronin, A.K. (2003). The “FTO list” and Congress: Sanctioning designated foreign terrorist organizations.         Retrieved from http://fpc.state.gov/ Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside terrorism. Juergensmeyer, M. (2003). Terror in the mind of God. PoKempner, D. (1995). Cambodia at war. CIA - The world factbook. https://www.cia.gov/index.html Scorched-earth. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved April 2, 2010, from                         http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scorched-earth Read More