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King Sihanouk with Hu Nim(L) and Son Sen (R) of the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodia's rocky recent history is mirrored in the tumultuous six-decade-long political career of its king, Norodom Sihanouk. Since he was crowned in 1941, Sihanouk has returned from exile three different times to become Cambodia's head of state. His shifting alliances with the United States, China, Vietnam, Thailand and the Khmer Rouge have earned him a reputation for political fickleness and demonstrated his canny instinct for survival. Today, the 80-year-old king continues to play an influential role in Cambodian politics. Looking back on his reign, Sihanouk has observed, "The humble people of Cambodia are the most wonderful in the world. Their great misfortune is that they always have terrible leaders who make them suffer. I am not sure that I was much better myself, but perhaps I was the least bad."

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photo: King Sihanouk with Hu Nim(L) and Son Sen (R) of the Khmer Rouge.
credit: Photo Courtesy Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-CAM)

photo: King Sihanouk entertains guests at his 71st birthday - 1993.
credit: Photo Courtesy Pernacca S. Sudhakaran

photo: King Sihanouk and his wife, Queen Monineath, next to the birthday cake - 1993.
credit: Photo Courtesy Pernacca S. Sudhakaran