Geography 484

1

• Geography 484
• Southeast Asia
• Jim Glassman
• Lecture 3b
• September 17, 2008

2
Nationalism and the Cold War Southeast Asia
becomes a region

• Phases of anti-colonial nationalism
• Early nationalist phase
• Nationalism becomes embedded in Cold War politics
• US Cold War intervention helps define SE Asia as
  region

3
The social basis of Southeast Asian nationalism

• National capitalist resistance to imperialism
• Peasant and working class resistance to
  exploitation
• Lonely bi-lingual intelligentsias search for
  new opportunities denied by colonial regime
  (Anderson)

4
Nationalism and imagined communities

• Anti-imperialist dimensions of nationalism
• Sub-imperialist dimensions of nationalism
• The importance of class struggles within
  nationalist movements in determining their
  orientation

5
Different nationalisms

• Philippines
• Early, non-communist nationalism
• Cold War anti-US nationalism Communist Party
  role
• Opposition to neo-colonialism
• Indonesia
• Non-aligned nationalism under Sukarno
• Suhartos annihilation of the Communist Party
• Nationalist struggles in East Timor, West Papua,
  Aceh

6
Different nationalisms (cont.)

• Malaysia
• Conservative, anti-communist nationalism in
  1950s-60s
• Ethnic Malay support for nationalist policies
  since independence
• Contemporary, conservative anti-US and anti-IMF
  nationalism
• Thailand
• Anti-Chinese nationalism in early 20th C
• Anti-Japanese and anti-US nationalism in the
  1970s
• Contemporary anti-Burmese nationalism
• Contemporary anti-IMF nationalism

7
Anti-colonial struggles in the Philippines

• Early 1900s non-communist nationalism
• Collaboration with US against Spanish
• US Manifest Destiny and aid to our little
  brown brothers
• Military invasion and Samar as a howling
  wilderness (Facing West and continuities with
  US Indian policies)
• Independence in 1946

8
The Philippines (cont.)

• Conditions favoring independence
• US weak and recent colonial history
• US political, economic, and military power and
  the possibilities it created for domination
  without formal colonial rule
• Treaties with the Philippines guaranteeing US
  trade and investment privileges, US base rights

9
The Philippines (cont.)

• Results of independence post-World War II
  Communist nationalism
• Devastation caused by World War II
• Hukbalahap resistance to Japanese on Luzon
• Huk program of land distribution (esp. sugar
  estates) land to the tiller
• Huks win 7 parliamentary seats in 1946 election
  but are denied them by Philippines elites
• Huks promote insurgency in southern and central
  Luzon until 1950 but are defeated

10
The Philippines (cont.)

• Counter-insurgency in the Philippines
• Edward G. Landsdale, Ramon Magsaysay, and the
  counter-insurgency of 1950-53
• Export of counter-insurgency ideas to Vietnam
• Maintenance of Philippine landed elite by US
  power
• The rise of Ferdinand Marcos
• Continuing social and regional struggles
  (Mindanao)

11
Anti-colonial struggles in Indonesia

• Dutch attempts to extend colonialism after World
  War II
• Promotion of federal system
• Indonesian nationalist (Javanese sub-imperialist)
  suspicion that this was meant to cultivate
  regional separatism

12
Indonesia (cont.)

• Dutch police actions of 1947-49
• Strengthening of national resistance
• US/UN opposition to Dutch strategy
• Independence in 1949
• 1948 suppression of Communist Party
• Struggles until 1962 with Darul Islam

13
Indonesia (cont.)

• Conditions favoring independence
• US comparative lack of interest in the
  Netherlands
• US comparative lack of interest in Indonesian
  archipelago
• US lack of general commitment to direct colonial
  rule

14
Indonesia (cont.)

• Results of independence
• Complex, regionally-fractured state, ruled from
  Java
• Centrality of military because of crucial role in
  independence struggle
• Importance of Sukarno in maintaining uneasy
  balance between conservative nationalists,
  Communists, and the military
• Continuing social and regional struggles (West
  Papua and Aceh)

15
Anti-colonial struggles in Malaysia

• The Malayan Emergency, 1948-60
• Communist Party rebels primarily Chinese, fail to
  win support of Malays or of Chinese elite
• Insurgency forced to work outside of cities
• Sir Robert Thompsons counter-insurgency new
  villages/strategic hamlets (millions of people
  moved)
• Malay independence in 1957

16
Malaysia (cont.)

• Conditions favoring independence
• Conservative, anti-communist outlook of Malaysian
  elites
• US general lack of commitment to direct colonial
  rule
• But note US interest in temporarily maintaining
  British colonial control because of
  reconstruction needs

17
Malaysia (cont.)

• Results of independence
• Ethnic and conservative political base of Malay
  nationalism
• Break with Singapore and the rise of UMNO
• Continuing social and regional struggles (Sarawak
  and Sabah)

18
British Colonial Legacies in Burma

• Mono-crop export dependence
• Dis-unified ethnically heterogeneous state
• Divide and rule strategy
• The death of Aung San
• Development of military dictatorship
• Opium economy
• Hill tribes and opium
• The KMT, US foreign policy and opium

19

• Video Hearts and Minds