A Study Of U.S.-Cambodia Relations During The Eisenhower Administration

This paper examines the relationship between the United States and Cambodia during the Eisenhower administration,analyzes the reasons for the changes in the relationship between the United States and Cambodia during the period 1953-1960,and finally attempts to respond to the fundamental issues of U.S.policy toward Cambodia during the Cold War.After the outbreak of the Cold War,the Truman administration proposed a containment strategy to resist the “expansion” of communism.The 1954 Geneva Conference was a good start for U.S.-Cambodia exchanges.In 1955,Sihanouk,who was influenced by “neutralism”,announced that he would “pursue a policy of neutrality”.The following February,Sihanouk’s visit to China demonstrated Cambodia’s attempt to strike a balance between China and the United States.The U.S.-Cambodian relationship developed for the better as Cambodia maintained an anti-communist and pro-American policy.In 1956-1958,as the socialist camp intensified its “offensive” in Southeast Asia,the United States began to accept Cambodia’s neutrality in order to ensure Cambodia’s security and stability while countering communist propaganda.Since1957,although Sihanouk hindered the development of communism in his country,Sino-Cambodian relations also warmed rapidly until formal diplomatic relations were established.Nevertheless,the U.S.government understood that there was no alternative to Sihanouk in Cambodia and that support for Sihanouk was still the best option.In 1960,China and Cambodia signed a “non-aggression pact”.The U.S.ambassador in Cambodia believed that Sihanouk had fallen to China,but Washington shifted from its hostile attitude toward Cambodia since the establishment of diplomatic relations and became more “sympathetic” to Cambodia,hoping to maintain the stated U.S.objectives.Sihanouk gradually accepted U.S.goodwill,and U.S.-Cambodia relations entered a period of calm after peaks and valleys.In general,the Cold War pattern tends to give small countries the initiative to act,and the U.S.has a policy design that often goes against its wishes.Cambodia pursued a policy of neutrality and tried to find a balance between the two camps.The United States,however,was implicated by South Vietnam and fell into an "alliance dilemma".On this basis,the weight of U.S.foreign policy,the involvement of historical issues between Cambodia and Vietnam,the attraction of the "Chinese model" to the Phnom Penh government,and the personal factors of leaders such as Sihanouk and Ngo Dinh Diem all had a certain degree of influence on U.S.-Cambodia relations.The conflict between the two countries did not come to the fore during the Eisenhower administration,but its effects were far-reaching.The development of U.S.-Cambodian relations during this period had a profound impact on Cambodia’s unrest for the next 30 years or so.