"What makes a man start fires?" A New York Times journalist recently asked this question about a White Supremacist who participated in Charlottesville. It's also a question that has been asked over and over again in relationship to genocide and mass violence. Drawing on my testimony at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, I take up this question in relationship to Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's right-hand man during the Cambodian genocide even as I consider some of the echos between the Khmer Rouge past and the current moment. CURA Colloquium cosponsored with School of Theology with Alex Hinton, Professor of Anthropology, Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, and UNESCO Chair on Genocide Prevention at Rutgers University *Reading the paper in advance is required for attendance. Email cura@bu.edu for the .pdf.* Bring your own lunch and we'll supply some cookies and coffee.