England's Maritime Heritage from the Air by Peter Waller (review)

ing the foundation of Western understanding of Marx and Engels. “It is not consciousness that determines life, but life that determines consciousness” (xi). He posits that the CPK leadership seemed to think that it was the degree of political consciousness that could be jammed into the proletariat that refl ected the material success of the revolution. In short, by fl ipping dialectical materialism on its head, political consciousness determined life and those who were unable or unwilling to submit were disappeared. “Spare them, no profi t; remove them, no loss” (Tuk min chammenh, dah chenh ka min khat) (xix). In summary, Tyner’s work provides a thoughtprovoking point of view for scholars to debate. As urged by the author, Cambodia watchers may also wish to interpret his message as a credible warning that in the kingdom of Cambodia, state capitalism policies and practices are still residing under the thinnest veil of democracy. Both Cambodian and world leaders are well advised to do the needful in avoiding yet another Th ucydides’ Trap. As demonstrated during the Khmer Rouge era, dialectic materialism can produce a strong temptation for the super powers to square off using dependent vassal states as their pawns. In exploring CPK revolutionary state capitalism as pure dialectical materialism under the guise of communism, Tyner makes a solid contribution to the canon while giving the critical thinker much to ponder.