De Gaulle in Phnom Penh, 1966: Promoting a New World Order

Conference

Friday November 13, 7:30 pm.

SOSORO Museum (Preah Srey Içanavarman Museum of Economy and Money)
#16, Street 106, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh

 Conference in English, free admission on registration

Conference of Professor Pierre Journoud, organized by the French Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia (IRASEC), the SOSORO Museum and the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) and chaired by Dr Jérémy Jammes, Director of the IRASEC.

Often portrayed merely as a condemnation of US military intervention in Vietnam, the speech delivered by General de Gaulle in Phnom Penh on September 1, 1966, also represents the culmination of deeper reflection on decolonization, the transformation of old colonial power dynamics into lasting partnerships, the defense of the right to self-determination, the pursuit of a more balanced international system, and the assertion of France’s potential as a mediator. The forward-looking nature of this speech explains its continued geopolitical relevance. In a region torn by conflict, the visit by the first French president to Norodom Sihanouk’s Cambodia—held up as a model of neutrality and independence even as war raged just 150 km away—embodied a diplomatic shift toward fostering peace and building a more balanced post-colonial and post-bipolar world.