THE CAPTURE of Phnom Penh last week by the Khmer Rouge is a victory for the Cambodian people over the corrupt Lon Nol regime and the imperialist American policies that supported it. When the Lon No 1 government surrendered, Khmer Rouge and former government troops embraced, signalling an end to the suffering of the Cambodian people after five long years of war. The new Cambodian government holds out the hope of social reform and simple honesty that were absent under Lon No 1. For that reason alone, those in this country who support national self-determination for Cambodia should consider the success of the Khmer Rouge as a cause for celebration.

But there is work to be done in Cambodia. Large portions of the countryside are still in ruins due to American bombing. Thousands of refugees, needing food and medical supplies, are still crowded into Phnom Penh and will have to gradually return to their homes. Khmer Rouge spokesmen said last week that the new government will regard the U.S. with caution, but they left open the possibility of good relations in the future and American aid in the days immediately ahead. The U.S. should seize this opportunity to begin repairing the devastation our policies and actions have brought to Cambodia.

Perhaps more important for the long run, though, is that Americans realize--from the entire experience in Southeast Asia--that the U.S. should not try to make over the world in its own conservative image. In the echo of this past weekend's hoopla about our own glorious revolution in the name of liberty and popular rule. Americans should insist that their government recognize the new government in Phnom Penh and extend aid to help rebuild Cambodia.