October 23, 2021, marked the 30th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, a comprehensive political framework that helped to end decades of conflict in Cambodia. The Agreements were complex and drew together more than 19 state actors along with many domestic constituents to negotiate a pathway to national reconciliation, establish a clear vision for a democratic Cambodia respecting human rights and freedoms, and reestablish Cambodia’s national sovereignty. The anniversary of the Agreements was a national holiday in Cambodia until it was removed in 2019. However, in early 2022 there was a new addition of Win-Win Policy Day—the anniversary of the day that the Khmer Rouge surrendered in 1998, ending fighting—on Cambodia’s national calendar. This reflects a shift in public dialogue about the role that the Agreements played in Cambodia’s fraught journey to peace.
Although there is an ongoing debate about how well the Paris Peace Agreements were implemented and their relevance to Cambodia today, the economic development and relative peace that has been enjoyed over the last 30 years would not have been possible without them. The Agreements provided a clear vision for ending the fighting and laid out a template for a liberal democracy with regular and genuine elections, an independent judiciary, and protection of key human rights and freedoms. These principles were enshrined in the Cambodian constitution and established an opportunity for Cambodians to rebuild an independent and sovereign nation-state. It should be recognized that the implementation of the Agreements was imperfect: the Khmer Rouge reneged on the Agreements, and there have been recurring instances of inter-party political conflict which raise questions about the competitiveness of future elections. But even with those considerations, Cambodia is considerably more stable and peaceful thirty years after the Agreements.
Peace and democracy are processes and not static states, and it is worth revisiting the role that the Paris Peace Agreements played in setting Cambodia on the path to democracy thirty years down the road. It is particularly timely to look back today because Cambodia is a young country: the average age is approximately 26, and most Cambodians were either not yet alive or were very young when the Paris Peace Agreements were negotiated and implemented. Notably, a survey done by the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace in 2021 revealed widespread uncertainty among students in Phnom Penh about what the Paris Peace Agreements were or how they contributed to Cambodia’s peace.
In recent years, the narrative surrounding the Paris Peace Agreements has shifted. The Cambodian government has increasingly credited the end of conflict not to the Agreements but rather to the “Win-Win Policy”, which re-integrated Khmer Rouge fighters back into public society in 1998 after they reneged on the Agreements and renewed conflict. A survey of the two most prominent English language newspapers in Cambodia—the Phnom Penh Post and The Khmer Times—reveals some changes over the last five years in how the Paris Peace Agreements are referenced.
In 2016 ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Agreements, 72% of the English language articles referencing the Agreements portrayed them positively and as a key factor in the end of conflict. Only two articles mentioned the Win-Win Policy. Compare that to 2021, where only 41% of the articles had a clear positive stance on the contributions of the Paris Peace Agreements and 32% referenced them with limitations or as one of many contributing factors for peace. In 2021 at least 17 articles referenced the Win-Win Policy alongside the Agreements, and there were six articles that referenced only the Win-Win Policy when discussing the end of conflict. While this survey covered only a portion of the media landscape in Cambodia, it reveals a shift in the way that the peace process is discussed. The media landscape in 2021 is less certain than in 2016 about whether the Paris Peace Agreements were responsible for peace or were one of many waymarks along the path to end conflict in Cambodia.
As public memory of the conflict begins to fade and historical narratives are reevaluated by those who didn’t experience events firsthand, it is vital to nurture a nuanced understanding how Cambodia achieved peace. The diplomats, activists, journalists, and other stakeholders involved in forging the Agreements are slowly retiring from public life, and their views on the process and the importance of the Agreements in ending conflict should be collected. In 2021 the Stimson Center and our partners at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace sought to help fill this gap in the narrative by producing an in-depth and interview-based report on the Paris Peace Agreements, which was published just after the 30th Anniversary. This report along with similar resources can be put to use in history classrooms in Cambodia and elsewhere in studying conflict resolution.
A simpler and more straightforward way to prompt public remembrance and consideration is to maintain the anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements on the national calendar in Cambodia. While the importance of individual waymarks on the path to peace must be decided by Cambodians themselves, the peace process was complex. There would not have been a Win-Win Policy Day without the Paris Peace Agreements, and the Agreements should be given similar public recognition.
Looking Back: How the Paris Peace Agreements are Remembered
By Courtney Weatherby Author
Southeast Asia
October 23, 2021, marked the 30th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, a comprehensive political framework that helped to end decades of conflict in Cambodia. The Agreements were complex and drew together more than 19 state actors along with many domestic constituents to negotiate a pathway to national reconciliation, establish a clear vision for a democratic Cambodia respecting human rights and freedoms, and reestablish Cambodia’s national sovereignty. The anniversary of the Agreements was a national holiday in Cambodia until it was removed in 2019. However, in early 2022 there was a new addition of Win-Win Policy Day—the anniversary of the day that the Khmer Rouge surrendered in 1998, ending fighting—on Cambodia’s national calendar. This reflects a shift in public dialogue about the role that the Agreements played in Cambodia’s fraught journey to peace.
Although there is an ongoing debate about how well the Paris Peace Agreements were implemented and their relevance to Cambodia today, the economic development and relative peace that has been enjoyed over the last 30 years would not have been possible without them. The Agreements provided a clear vision for ending the fighting and laid out a template for a liberal democracy with regular and genuine elections, an independent judiciary, and protection of key human rights and freedoms. These principles were enshrined in the Cambodian constitution and established an opportunity for Cambodians to rebuild an independent and sovereign nation-state. It should be recognized that the implementation of the Agreements was imperfect: the Khmer Rouge reneged on the Agreements, and there have been recurring instances of inter-party political conflict which raise questions about the competitiveness of future elections. But even with those considerations, Cambodia is considerably more stable and peaceful thirty years after the Agreements.
Peace and democracy are processes and not static states, and it is worth revisiting the role that the Paris Peace Agreements played in setting Cambodia on the path to democracy thirty years down the road. It is particularly timely to look back today because Cambodia is a young country: the average age is approximately 26, and most Cambodians were either not yet alive or were very young when the Paris Peace Agreements were negotiated and implemented. Notably, a survey done by the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace in 2021 revealed widespread uncertainty among students in Phnom Penh about what the Paris Peace Agreements were or how they contributed to Cambodia’s peace.
In recent years, the narrative surrounding the Paris Peace Agreements has shifted. The Cambodian government has increasingly credited the end of conflict not to the Agreements but rather to the “Win-Win Policy”, which re-integrated Khmer Rouge fighters back into public society in 1998 after they reneged on the Agreements and renewed conflict. A survey of the two most prominent English language newspapers in Cambodia—the Phnom Penh Post and The Khmer Times—reveals some changes over the last five years in how the Paris Peace Agreements are referenced.
In 2016 ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Agreements, 72% of the English language articles referencing the Agreements portrayed them positively and as a key factor in the end of conflict. Only two articles mentioned the Win-Win Policy. Compare that to 2021, where only 41% of the articles had a clear positive stance on the contributions of the Paris Peace Agreements and 32% referenced them with limitations or as one of many contributing factors for peace. In 2021 at least 17 articles referenced the Win-Win Policy alongside the Agreements, and there were six articles that referenced only the Win-Win Policy when discussing the end of conflict. While this survey covered only a portion of the media landscape in Cambodia, it reveals a shift in the way that the peace process is discussed. The media landscape in 2021 is less certain than in 2016 about whether the Paris Peace Agreements were responsible for peace or were one of many waymarks along the path to end conflict in Cambodia.
As public memory of the conflict begins to fade and historical narratives are reevaluated by those who didn’t experience events firsthand, it is vital to nurture a nuanced understanding how Cambodia achieved peace. The diplomats, activists, journalists, and other stakeholders involved in forging the Agreements are slowly retiring from public life, and their views on the process and the importance of the Agreements in ending conflict should be collected. In 2021 the Stimson Center and our partners at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace sought to help fill this gap in the narrative by producing an in-depth and interview-based report on the Paris Peace Agreements, which was published just after the 30th Anniversary. This report along with similar resources can be put to use in history classrooms in Cambodia and elsewhere in studying conflict resolution.
A simpler and more straightforward way to prompt public remembrance and consideration is to maintain the anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements on the national calendar in Cambodia. While the importance of individual waymarks on the path to peace must be decided by Cambodians themselves, the peace process was complex. There would not have been a Win-Win Policy Day without the Paris Peace Agreements, and the Agreements should be given similar public recognition.
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