Contrary to popular opinion, America's involvement with Vietnam did not end with the hurried evacuation of U.S. personnel from the Saigon embassy rooftop in 1973. Washington continued to be involved in Indochinese affairs throughout the '80s and '90s, and played an integral role in the Cambodian peace process that culminated in the May 1993 elections.
Richard Solomon, a former ranking State Department official who was personally involved in those negotiations and who now serves as president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, explains that U.S. role in "Exiting Indochina." Solomon argues that the United States was the most neutral of all the major powers taking part in the negotiations and could therefore act as an intermediary in the U.N. process.
It was a challenge, given "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality that dominated Indochinese politics. Vietnam and Cambodia were historical enemies, as were Vietnam and China.