A government which accepts state-sponsored terror as a legitimate method of enforcing order has already forfeited any claim to being just. What made the Cambodian revolution unique was not merely that the Khmer Rouge were brutal. The Cambodia revolution stands apart from other upheavals because the Khmer Rouge combined astonishing brutality with astonishing stupidity. For the most part, dictatorial regimes in other nations have moderated their policies for the simple reason that most understand that there are limits to human endurance. When conditions reach a certain level of severity, societies cease to function.
Fear becomes palpable, and paralyzing.
The Khmer Rouge created a government founded on doctrinaire delusions. Consequently, suggestions for improving policies or work methods were seen as nothing more than veiled criticisms of the regime. Prior to 1979, many scholars dismissed the reports of mass killings in Cambodia. When the Khmer Rouge were driven out by the Vietnamese, the evidence of the disaster became undeniable. The true cost of genocide, however, will always remain unknown.