The Fall of Phnom Penh: Pol Pot, commander of the Khmer Rouge Militia, completes his takeover of Cambodia, by overrunning the capital city—the last remaining non-communist stronghold.
NOTES:
- So ended the U.s.’ 15th attempt at nation building, bringing its total success/failure record to (successes, 1; failures, 12; and one toss-up).
- While “nation-building is a laudable goal, Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution for the united States says that “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government”; it does NOT state that “The United States shall guarantee to every nation on this planet a Republican Form of Government” [emphasis added].
[added 7/17/2025]
Subsequent Events:
4/30/1975 5/12/1975
References:
Doug Bandow, “Nation-Building’s Grim Record,” Orange County (California) Register, 25 April 2003, Local:7.
Stanley A. Karnow, Vietnam: A History, (1983; New York: Penguin, 1997), 55, 700.
PolicyBrief#24 – Policybrief24.pdf
carnegieendowment.org/files/Policybrief24.pdf
Fall of Phnom Penh – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Phnom_Penh
Current U.s. National Debt:
