Roadnight, Andrew (1998) The greatest prize in Southeast Asia: United States' policy towards Indonesia in the Truman and Eisenhower years. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

United States' policy towards Indonesia (the Netherlands East Indies) during the Truman and Eisenhower Presidencies involved many of the major issues of the time, including decolonisation, access to economic resources, Cold War strategy and Washington's involvement with Asian nationalism. Throughout the period, the emphasis of American policy was on the integration of Indonesia into world capitalism, an objective which became intertwined with Indonesia's growing strategic value to the US, from 1948 onwards, and its subsequent importance as a scene of confrontation with the Soviets and Communist China. By 1961, Washington's policies had failed in all their major aims and it seemed possible that Indonesia would become a communist state.

The Eurocentric bias of American policy consistently dominated US relations with Indonesia. During the independence struggle, between 1945 and 1949, Washington's support for The Netherlands ended only when it became a greater threat to stability than the nationalists. However, after independence, its pro-Dutch inclinations were revived over the West Irian question. The militant anti-communism of John Foster Dulles, the Americans' inability to come to terms with Asian nationalism, exemplified by its handling of the Bandung Conference, in 1955, and the deep personal dislike of Sukarno by senior Administration officials combined to cause a deterioration in relations which culminated in a CIA-sponsored rebellion, in 1957/58.

The determination and execution of American policy was influenced by Australia, which favoured Indonesian independence, and which, in the 1950's, exerted great influence in Washington, especially over West Irian. Along with the United Kingdom, whose forces had liberated the Netherlands East Indies in 1945, Australia had a central role in the CIA-backed rebellion. American policy minimised the role of the United Nations in the Indonesian independence struggle and over West Irian in order to inhibit the Soviet's ability to intervene.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DS Asia E History America > E151 United States (General)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Nationalism -- Asia, Decolonization -- Indonesia, Cold War, United States -- Foreign relations -- Indonesia, Indonesia -- Foreign relations -- United States, United States -- Politics and government -- 1945-1953, United States -- Politics and government -- 1953-1961
Official Date:	September 1998
Dates:	Date Event September 1998 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	MacDonald, C. A. ; Fagge, Roger
Sponsors:	British Academy (BA) ; Harry S. Truman Library. Institute for National and International Affairs (HSTL) ; Gilchrist Educational Trust (GET) ; University of Warwick (UoW)
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	356 leaves
Language:	eng

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