This provocative analysis of U.S. policy toward Cambodia illuminates issues that remain especially pertinent in the aftermath of the Cold War. Haas examines U.S. failures in Cambodia and traces them to a combination of an idealistic desire to remake the world in the American democratic image, a belief in U.S. omnipotence, and the realpolitik tradition of using power to advance U.S. interests whenever they seem to be threatened. Formulating a model of international relations based on democratic principles, Haas urges reflection on the lessons of Cambodia as policies are developed for the 1990s.