He boasted that in 2014 he would do " the most slippery , unthinkable , machiavellian things denying press credential s , barring access , changing game schedules . "
Since taking office in 1985 , he has become known by rivals and supporters alike as a machiavellian operator who presided over cambodia 's recovery from civil war and genocide but who also quashed dissent and outmaneuvered opponents .