Philip Short talks about the life of Cambodia's Pol Pot, the former leader of the Khmer Rouge who ruled the country from 1975 to 1979 and was responsible for the deaths of over one million people. Mr. Short gives an overview of Pol Pot's early life as a student in Paris and talks about the influence the French Revolution and Joseph Stalin had on him. He also discusses the conditions in Cambodia that he thinks played a significant role in shaping Pol Pot's political philosophy, including the country's Buddhist tradition.

Author Bio: Philip Short has been a foreign correspondent for the Times (London), the Economist, and the BBC. He is the author of "Mao: A Life." (link)