Part I: The View from the Field, 1992–1993
Chapter 1: When the World "Invaded" Cambodia
Chapter 2: A Glimpse into the Past
Chapter 3: The Intricate Dance of Governance
Chapter 4: We Stared at Each Other and I Blinked
Chapter 5: The Khmer Rouge Derail Demobilization
Chapter 6: The Rocky Road to Elections
Chapter 7: A Vote for Peace?
Part II: A UN Envoy in Phnom Penh, 1994–1997
Chapter 8: Not Enough Actors for the Play
Chapter 9: King Reigns but Does Not Rule
Chapter 10: A Mysterious Coup Attempt
Chapter 11: Is There an Asian Model for Development?
Chapter 12: A Puppet Prime Minister?
Chapter 13: Toward a Climax
Chapter 14: The Final Showdown
Epilogue
Chronology
Appendix 1: Deployment of UNTAC
Appendix 2: The Royal Government of Cambodia, November 1993
Benny Widyono, born in Indonesia to ethnic Chinese parents, was a career UN diplomat. He was a peacekeeper with UNTAC from 1992 to 1993 and representative of the UN secretary-general in Cambodia from 1994 to 1997. He holds a Ph.D. in economics and wrote this book while a visiting scholar at the Kahin Center on Advanced Research on Southeast Asia at Cornell University.
But the story is his own. . . . The book, therefore, 'sounds like
Benny,' which is what gives it its bite and originality. . . . He
provides here an astute analysis of the actions leading to the
brief upheaval that brought about the break-up of the coalition in
July 1997. . . . An engrossing read.
*Pacific Affairs*
This absorbing memoir [offers] an insightful record of a tumultuous
period of Cambodian history in which Widyono was an astute
participant-observer. . . . His assessments of personalities and
events in this period are often shrewd and persuasive, and
buttressed by observations made in the course of later visits to
the country. . . . Widyono's writing is brisk, perceptive and
accessible. . . . A valuable addition to literature about
Cambodia's recent past.
*Phnom Penh Post*
[The author's] fascinating account reveals how he coped with
potholed roads, an erratic power supply, political headaches and a
deeply flawed UN mandate with considerable humour and rare
commitment. . . . The book clarifies the complexities, illusions
and realities of power in Cambodia.
*South China Morning Post*
Benny Widyono has now performed the invaluable task of setting the
record straight by counting the failures as well.
*Outlook, Bangkok Post*
These memoirs of a senior UN official recording his years in
Cambodia from 1992 to 1997 are not only informative and well
researched, but also keenly perceptive and engaging. . . . Benny
Widyono's insider account is essential reading for those interested
in what really happened in Cambodia during his five turbulent years
in that rapidly developing country.
*Asian Affairs*
The appearance of a memoir by Indonesian-born U.N. diplomat Benny
Widyono is welcome.
*CAAI News Media*
This is an important retelling of less-well-known parts of
Cambodia's modern history. It is written by an international civil
servant who spent five years (1992–97) in the country. . . . The
author gives fresh and interesting profiles of leaders, and his
account enriches knowledge and understanding of how they sought to
achieve success and often failed. Recommended.
*CHOICE*
Gripping. . . . [A] political memoir written in engaging prose,
Dancing in Shadows offers an insider’s view into a critical moment
in Cambodia’s recent tumultuous history. As such, it is an
invaluable resource for all interested observers and students of
Cambodia, undergraduate and graduate alike.
*Explorations*
Riveting. . . . I could not put it down. It is well written,
engaging, and highly informative. I now understand so much more of
Cambodia's Cold-War history and how it led to the Killing Fields in
which about two million Cambodians perished. . . . Above and beyond
being a thought leader and global citizen, Benny has been able to
share his gripping life in an exceptional book. I highly recommend
it.
*The Huffington Post*
Benny Widyono's memoirs from his five years working for the UN in
Cambodia provide interesting insight into both the events and
personalities at play. . . . His take on events is refreshing. . .
. In this eminently readable account, Benny Widyono has done an
admirable job of encapsulating his experiences in Cambodia, to the
benefit of those who will pick up this book.
*Canadian Journal of History*
An engaging read.
*South Asia Research*
Scholars can glean many interesting details of the failings of
UNTAC from Mr. Widyono’s account.
*Far Eastern Economic Review*
Dancing in Shadows is a key text for anyone interested in
understanding Cambodian politics and would also be useful to anyone
with an interest in traditional democracies, UN peacekeeping
efforts or elections in post-conflict nations.
*Cambridge University Press*
Widyono's book . . . is a vivid autobiographical narrative. . . .
Represents valuable contributions to the body of knowledge on
post-conflict Cambodia. Both Widyono's and Peou's books dovetail on
the general period of governing Cambodia during and after UNTAC,
and are important contributions for any scholar interested in the
country, peacebuilding, democratization and its discontents.
Engrossing. . . . An honest and valuable rendition of five years in
Cambodia at a time of maximum democratic hope for the country.
*Contemporary Southeast Asia*
Benny Widyono is ideally placed to assess the turbulent events in
Cambodia between the UN-sponsored Paris Peace Accords of 1992 and
the return to full electoral legitimacy of Hun Sen’s Cambodian
People’s Party-led government in 1998. During most of those years,
as personal representative of the UN secretary-general, Widyono was
at the center of Cambodia’s Machiavellian political scene.
*Tony Kevin, Australian ambassador to Cambodia (1994–1997)*
Benny Widyono brings us the remarkable inside story of the UNTAC
operations in Cambodia after the conclusion of the Paris Peace
Agreements, as well as the intrigues, turmoil, and political
upheavals of the first years of a reborn Cambodia. This book will
be fascinating reading for anyone interested in the often tragic
history of Cambodia and the history of big-power intervention in
Southeast Asia.
*Ali Alatas, former foreign minister of Indonesia and co-chairman
of the Paris International Conference on Cambodia*
Benny Widyono has written a lively, sometimes passionate and
controversial book from the perspective of a fellow Southeast Asian
who was also a senior UN official through Cambodia's crucial
post–Cold War years. His account is rich in detail, from scenes of
his own life and work in the devastated country to his insider's
analyses of its troubled politics.
*Barbara Crossette, former New York Times correspondent in
Southeast Asia and UN bureau chief*
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