Nearly four decades on, January 7th remains by far the most significant fault-line in contemporary Cambodian politics, a pivot-point for two competing political myths. Exploring the origin and content of these myths - which is the focus of this paper - is important because they remain a primary obstacle to the formulation of new politics driven by consensus, dialogue, and mutual respect, rather than the fierce hostility which has characterized Cambodian politics since the country’s independence. As long as Cambodian politicians continue fighting old battles, they will struggle to put forward concrete policies that stand any chance of addressing the challenges of the 21st century.