August 1998 
  Vol. IV, No. 5

Left to right: Timothy Shenk of Virginia, Ting Chen of New Jersey, Julie Bales of Tennessee, and Frank McGovern of Idaho.

“One of the major achievements of the United Nations peace plan in Cambodia was to significantly undercut the power of the dreaded Khmer Rouge,” says Richard H. Solomon, president of the U.S. Institute of Peace. “The Khmer Rouge are no longer a serious military threat to the country. Today, the real threat to Cambodia is the subversion of the political order and the election process by those leaders opposed to democracy. If the July elections succeed in creating a broadly accepted government, then it seems likely that issues such as accountability for the genocidal violence of the 1970s can be put on Cambodia’s national agenda, further promoting reconciliation and stability in the country.”

Solomon, who represented the United States in the 1991 United Nations peace talks that brought the 13-year Cambodian civil war to a close, discussed the elections in Cambodia and the future of that country at a June briefing for the winners of the Institute’s annual National Peace Essay Contest for high school students.

More than 5,000 students in 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and American high schools overseas participated in this year’s competition. The event was organized by Heather Kerr-Stewart, education specialist, with the help of Janice Hoggs, project assistant. All first-place state-level winners received a $750 scholarship and a trip to Washington.

Forty-one winners visited Washington June 20–25 for five days of educational activities focused on Cambodian culture, history, and politics. Var Huoth, Cambodia’s ambassador to the United States, briefed the students on recent developments in Cambodia. State Department officials and foreign affairs specialists provided further insights into the country’s then-pending July elections.

This year’s national winners were Timothy Shenk of Harrisonburg, Virginia, who won first place and a $5,000 scholarship; Frank McGovern of Idaho Falls, Idaho, who won second place and a $2,500 scholarship; and Ting Chen of Hackensack, New Jersey, and Julie Ellen Bales of Knoxville, Tennessee, who tied for third place and each received a $1,000 scholarship.

Students were asked to write 1,500 words about two twentieth century conflicts and consider whether war crimes and human rights violations were accounted for in a way that supported lasting peace. To read Tim Shenk’s winning essay, click here.

Click for more information on:
1998–99 National Peace Essay Contest
National Peace Essay Contest Week ’98
Previous winning essays
Richard H. Solomon

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