UNTAC in Cambodia: The Impact on Human Rights

The UN-organized national elections were heralded as Cambodia's first step on the road to liberal democracy. Since the Royal Government produced by those elections took power, however, much of the triumphalism surrounding the United Nations' intervention in Cambodia, particularly in terms of UNTAC's human rights mandate, has proved to have been premature, as abuses continue and political opponents of the government are silenced. This study critiques UNTAC's mission in Cambodia from a human rights perspective. It evaluates UNTAC's response to the tensions between continuity and change inherent in the peacekeeping mandate and considers the impact of the choices made during the transition on the long-term future of human rights in Cambodia.