Dancing in the shadows is the engaging personal memoir of Indonesian-born Benny Widyono's experience as a United Nations (UN) peacekeeper and later, envoy to the UN Secretary-General during Cambodia's turbulent transition to democracy between 1992 and 1997. The book is presented in two parts: the first describes the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) years when Widyono was the Governor of Siem Reap Province; the second records his observations and experiences as the UN Secretary-General's Political Representative to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The foreword, written by Ben Kiernan, provides a background to Indonesia's relationship with Cambodia in the post-conflict years, thereby situating Widyono's relationship to Cambodia as an Indonesian national.
In the first half of the text, Widyono describes his experiences and observations as the UNTAC Governor of Siem Reap province from 1992–93. This was a critical period marked by the United Nation's efforts to implement the policies and goals of the Paris Peace Accords of 1991. The goals included achieving stability through disarmament of various Cambodian political factions, administering free and fair democratic elections, repatriating refugees, promoting and upholding human rights, aiding in the rebuilding of infrastructure and other related tasks. Widyono describes the colourful array of personalities of the UN peacekeepers, several of whom he became well acquainted with. It was also the early days of his relationship with Sihanouk, which would continue after his UNTAC years. One of his most fascinating accounts is when he accompanied Sihanouk and Queen Monique to the Khmer Rouge stronghold in Pailin. This bizarre trip provides interesting insight into Sihanouk's complex relationship with the Khmer Rouge and as well as a glimpse of the ousted Khmer Rouge themselves. This visit to Pailin is juxtaposed against another trip with Sihanouk, this time to visit a FUNCINPEC base. The differing receptions illustrate Sihanouk's multifaceted relationships with the various political parties — a theme that Widyono elaborates on in the second half of the text.
Widyono's evaluation of the political circumstances and the UN mission shed light on the impacts of UNTAC. In his view, the mission was flawed on a number of counts, ranging from operational shortcomings to problems inherent in the UNTAC mandate itself. Operationally, a lack of international peacekeepers fluent in Khmer and the slow deployment of UN personnel hampered the launching of the mission itself. But as Widyono points out, there were problems stemming from the Paris Peace Accord agreements themselves. First, the Khmer Rouge were legitimised as a viable political party by their inclusion in the democratic electoral process and had they not later boycotted the election they would have gone on to be a legitimate political force in the nation. A second problem Widyono identifies was the failure to provide proper recognition of Hun Sen's SOC (State of Cambodia) party, which at the time controlled 90 per cent of the country. The third and final issue with the UNTAC mandate arose from constraints on the use of force by UNTAC; this had broad repercussions, including the inability to enter Khmer Rouge areas, enforce disarmament, or defend citizens during armed conflicts. Despite these criticisms, however, Widyono praises the professionalism and dedication of several UN peacekeepers he worked with, and sees the election and repatriation of refugees as two of UNTAC's great success stories.
The second part of the book focuses on the new government in the post-election period and particularly the tug of war for power between Sihanouk, Hun Sen and Ranariddh. For this reader, this section was especially compelling for its untangling of the intricate web of Cambodian politics during this volatile and intriguing period. Widyono's role as a UN political observer provided the opportunity to hold intimate discussions with Hun Sen, Sihanouk and other key figures. It is through these accounts of his personal interactions with the various players and his poignant observations that Widyono gives the reader a sense of the issues, personalities and circumstances that were shaping history, going well beyond what can be provided by mere hindsight.
In sum, Widyono makes some very interesting observations and recommendations throughout the text. Many of these pivot around UNTAC's trials and tribulations. The book is a compelling and enjoyable read given the personal style of the prose. It offers a very informative view into a critical period of Cambodian history and makes some astute observations that are not only interesting for Cambodianists but also provide a valuable resource of experience for future UN peacekeeping missions. The only shortfall I found was a paucity of description of everyday life through the years he was there. A little more would have added colour to Widyono's rich account of politics and personal relations and given readers a bit more of a sense of what it was like to be there at the time. That said, Widyono's accounts of the various personalities are vivid and it was enjoyable to see these people come to life. Dancing in the shadows is a key text for anyone interested in understanding Cambodian politics and would also be useful to anyone with an interest in transitional democracies, UN peacekeeping efforts or elections in post-conflict nations.
