Cambodia

Core faculty

John D. Ciorciari

Associate Professor of Public Policy; Director, International Policy Center and Weiser Diplomacy Center

Ciorciari is an associate professor of public policy and director of the Ford School's Weiser Diplomacy Center and International Policy Center. His research focuses on international law and politics in the Global South.

In the Media

Ciorciari defends Cambodian human rights lawyer charged with treason

Aug 10, 2021 The New York Times

Theary Seng, a human rights lawyer, has been charged with treason in Cambodia for attempting to build a democratic system and defending human rights. “Theary has been a courageous champion for democracy and social justice in Cambodia for many...

In the Media

Ciorciari analyzes U.S. priorities in Cambodia

May 31, 2021 VOA Cambodia

Ahead of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State's visit to Cambodia, foreign policy experts debated what the visit could mean. Many pointed to the relationship between Cambodia and China, including John Ciorciari, associate professor of public policy...

Publication

Ciorciari’s new book sheds light on sovereignty sharing

Mar 11, 2021

In fragile states, where human rights violations run amuck and conflicts create instability, domestic and international actors sometimes take the extraordinary step to share sovereignty to combine knowledge and resources to increase accountability...

News

Ciorciari supports U-M Law alum charged in Cambodia crackdown

Nov 24, 2020

University of Michigan Law School alum Theary Seng cut her hair live on Radio Free Asia this past Thursday. It was not for fashion but convenience: should she go to jail the next week, she wanted to be prepared to deal with lice. Seng is a...

In the Media

Ciorciari comments on winding down of Khmer Rouge Tribunals

Sep 24, 2020 La Prensa Latina

"I think it is quite likely that the [remaining] cases will be dismissed. With little prospect of those cases advancing... and after years of mounting donor frustration and fatigue, it is doubtful that the tribunal will be open much longer," said...

New Ciorciari article: protecting survivors through the process of transitional justice

May 2, 2018

In a piece recently published in The Conversation, Ford School professor John Ciorciari reflects on his most recent findings associated with his long term study of survivors of Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Ciorciari, an expert in international...

State & Hill

Ford School faculty members share recent research findings in international security

Dec 26, 2017

Robert Axelrod on "the blame game" for responding to cyber attacks In a world where cyber attacks are both increasingly common and increasingly dangerous, deciding whether and how to respond to one is an estimable challenge for policymakers....

Internship field report, Will Feuer @ Southeast Asia Globe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sep 22, 2017

Will Feuer (BA '19) submitted this field report from his internship with Southeast Asia Globe in Cambodia.Four hours outside of Phnom Penh the bus breaks down. It’s roughly midnight, and it’s raining, but as I stumble outside, calling a taxi and...

National Bureau of Asian Research interviews Ciorciari about Cambodian election

Jun 5, 2017

Yesterday, Cambodia held its first commune elections since 2013, when the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) retained power in spite of a robust challenge from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). After the 2013 elections,...

Doctoral students Eitan Paul and Jieun Lee named inaugural IPC Research Scholars

Apr 21, 2017

Doctoral students Eitan Paul and Jieun Lee (MPP ’12) have been named inaugural recipients of the International Policy Center's (IPC) Research Scholar Award.IPC Research Scholar Awards aim to facilitate cutting-edge scholarship and to help...

Ciorciari's "Nationalist protests, government responses, and the risk of escalation"

Sep 15, 2016

The July 2016 edition of Security Studies features an article by John D. Ciorciari and Jessica Chen Weiss entitled, "Nationalist protests, government responses, and the risk of escalation in interstate disputes."AbstractWhile the existing literature...

Ciorciari quoted in The Cambodia Daily regarding threats to Cambodia’s internal peace

Oct 27, 2015

John Ciorciari, a Cambodia scholar and faculty member at the Ford School, is quoted in Monday's Cambodia Daily regarding recent threats to internal peace by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen.With the potential for a power shift in the upcoming...

Khmer Rouge Tribunal begins new phase with wider scope

Aug 28, 2014

The Khmer Rouge tribunal's ongoing proceedings against the former Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are entering their second and final phase with broader attention to the regime's crimes, reports Sok Khemara in a Voice of...

Law enforcement increasingly intolerant of dissent image

State & Hill

Hybrid Justice and Armed With Expertise

May 6, 2014

Two new books from Ford School faculty members John D. Ciorciari and Joy Rohde deepen our understanding of international criminal justice systems and the role social scientists have played, for better or for worse, in American national...

Agreement between the U.N. and Cambodia to continue to cooperate on the Khmer Rouge genocide trials positive sign, says Ciorciari

Feb 3, 2014

In a Voice of America article, John Ciorciari says the new commitment from the United Nations and Cambodia reinforcing their support of the Khmer Rouge genocide trials should restore confidence from international donors and push the tribunal to move...

New book by Ciorciari offers critique of Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Jan 23, 2014

"Hybrid Justice: The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia," a forthcoming book by John Ciorciari and Anne Heindel, a legal advisor at the Documentation Center of Cambodia, contends that the unique legal and institutional features of the...

In the midst of ongoing election disputes, John Ciorciari offers strategic suggestions for Cambodia's rulers, opposition

Aug 9, 2013

John Ciorciari, assistant professor of public policy and senior legal advisor to the Documentation Center of Cambodia, is one of a handful of experts tapped to discuss Cambodia's post-election impasse in the Voice of America article,...

Ciorciari joins UN General Assembly debate on global criminal justice

Apr 12, 2013

John Ciorciari's participation in a thematic debate before the UN General Assembly was discussed in a press release from the United Nations as well as an article on BalkanInsight.com. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, heads of state, and justice...

State & Hill

Memory and justice: Assembling archives of mass atrocities

Dec 18, 2012

A woman in Cambodia recently released more than 1,000 photographs of people imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge—the genocidal Democratic Kampuchea regime that ruled the country from 1975–79. She had worked in the regime's prison system and, fearing...

Ciorciari: American investors seek profit, safety in Cambodia

Jul 5, 2012

With a group of U.S. business owners joining U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on a trip to Cambodia, Voice of America Khmer spoke with John D. Ciorciari about the prospects for American investment in the country."Private investors are mainly...

Voice of America quotes John Ciorciari about funding for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Feb 22, 2012

The Voice of America reports that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal has requested $92 million from a group of 15 donor countries to cover operational costs the next two years.Backed by the United Nations, the genocide tribunal is seeking justice for almost...

John Ciorciari quoted in Voice of America article about credibility of Khmer Rouge tribunal

Oct 24, 2011

John Ciorciari was quoted in a Voice of America (VOA) article, "Concern Mounts Over Credibility of the Court," about the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal.According to the article's author, the court's ability to manage these trials has come...

John D. Ciorciari quoted in Voice of America article, "Amnesty, Double Jeopardy on Agenda for Tribunal Hearing"

Jun 26, 2011

John D. Ciorciari was quoted in a Voice of America article on the issue of double jeopardy in Case 002, the upcoming trial of several ex-Khmer Rouge leaders.The leaders ― Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, and Ieng Thirith, all of whom had...

John D. Ciorciari quoted in Phnom Penh Post article, "Jurisdiction key in 003 fight"

Jun 23, 2011

John D. Ciorciari was quoted in a Phnom Penh Post article on the conflict over the limits of jurisdiction in the upcoming trial of two major Khmer Rouge leaders by the Extraordinary Chamber of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).The ECCC, established by...

John Ciorciari quoted in Voice of America article, "Legitimacy of Tribunal at Stake: Legal Observers"

May 24, 2011

John Ciorciari was quoted in a Voice of America article about political pressures on the UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal.Legal observers are concerned about the disagreement between the UN and Cambodian investigating judges and the international...

John Ciorciari quoted in Phnom Penh Post about Khmer Rouge tribunal jurisdictional debate

May 12, 2011

John Ciorciari was quoted in a Phnom Penh Post article about the jurisdictional debate between the co-prosecutors of the Khmer Rouges trials. The debate centers on the UN-backed tribunal's authority to proceed with its third case (Case...

John Ciorciari quoted in Time about uptick in violence in Thai-Cambodian border dispute

Apr 25, 2011

John Ciorciari was quoted in a Time article called "Deadly Clashes as Thai-Cambodian Temple Tensions Reignite." The article discusses a new series of violent clashes that have erupted around the Preah Vihear Hindu temple, a UNESCO World Heritage...

John Ciorciari interviewed on CTN about Thailand, Cambodia border dispute

Mar 16, 2011

The Cambodian Television Network (CTN) interviewed John Ciorciari about the current border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. The dispute centers on the Preah Vihear Hindu temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the surrounding land. The...

John Ciorciari quoted in Voice of America about Khmer Rouge trial

Sep 16, 2010

John Ciorciari answered three questions for Voice of America about the United Nations-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal and the legal system. Prosecutors are considering a complex and difficult legal strategy called Joint Criminal Enterprise against four...