16-06-2016, 02:54 AM
Getting back to Poulgrain, this appears to be a really important book.
He did a lot oF original research.
He had written a previous volume on the Malaysia/Sukarno confrontation. That book concluded that contrary to what many people had written, that was not started by Sukarno. It was a deliberate provocation by the British in order to grease the skids to get rid of Sukarno, who they perceived as being too charismatic of a Third World leader. Most people forget that it was Sukarno who began the whole Non Aligned nations movement. That is, countries that did not want to be part of either the Soviet or American alliance system. This was one of the major strikes against him with the Dulles brothers.
JFK did not have any real problem with that stance. In fact, he welcomed it since he thought the USA could compete successfully with the Soviets in the Third World. George Ball, called this the Kennedy Doctrine.
Needless to say, it was abandoned after JFK was killed since LBJ did not like Sukarno, and as RFK and Jackie told the Soviets, Johnson was much too friendly with business interests to continue on the third path. That is what happened in Indonesia. Many of the Power Elite who knew the incredible wealth of the country and wanted it to be exposed to American imperialism, backed LBJ in the election. He came through for them, needless to say.
Poulgrain's book looks like a milestone in the field of Indonesia studies. Its a real shame he does not have an American or British publisher. Because his book appears to fall in line with the works of Mahoney, Rakove, and Muehlenbeck as the further excavation of Kennedy's revolutionary foreign policy.
He did a lot oF original research.
He had written a previous volume on the Malaysia/Sukarno confrontation. That book concluded that contrary to what many people had written, that was not started by Sukarno. It was a deliberate provocation by the British in order to grease the skids to get rid of Sukarno, who they perceived as being too charismatic of a Third World leader. Most people forget that it was Sukarno who began the whole Non Aligned nations movement. That is, countries that did not want to be part of either the Soviet or American alliance system. This was one of the major strikes against him with the Dulles brothers.
JFK did not have any real problem with that stance. In fact, he welcomed it since he thought the USA could compete successfully with the Soviets in the Third World. George Ball, called this the Kennedy Doctrine.
Needless to say, it was abandoned after JFK was killed since LBJ did not like Sukarno, and as RFK and Jackie told the Soviets, Johnson was much too friendly with business interests to continue on the third path. That is what happened in Indonesia. Many of the Power Elite who knew the incredible wealth of the country and wanted it to be exposed to American imperialism, backed LBJ in the election. He came through for them, needless to say.
Poulgrain's book looks like a milestone in the field of Indonesia studies. Its a real shame he does not have an American or British publisher. Because his book appears to fall in line with the works of Mahoney, Rakove, and Muehlenbeck as the further excavation of Kennedy's revolutionary foreign policy.