Page "History of Cambodia" Paragraph 35

The relationship between the massive carpet bombing of Cambodia by the United States and the growth of the Khmer Rouge, in terms of recruitment and popular support, has been a matter of interest to historians.

Some historians have cited the U. S. intervention and bombing campaign ( spanning 1965 – 1973 ) as a significant factor leading to increased support of the Khmer Rouge among the Cambodian peasantry.

However, Pol Pot biographer David Chandler argues that the bombing " had the effect the Americans wanted – it broke the Communist encirclement of Phnom Penh ".

Peter Rodman and Michael Lind claimed that the US intervention saved Cambodia from collapse in 1970 and 1973.

Craig Etcheson agreed that it was " untenable " to assert that US intervention caused the Khmer Rouge victory while acknowledging that it may have played a small role in boosting recruitment for the insurgents.

William Shawcross, however, wrote that the US bombing and ground incursion plunged Cambodia into the chaos Sihanouk had worked for years to avoid.