Abstract
Immediately after World War II, the Indonesian nationalists declared the independence of Indonesia and staunchly opposed the return of the Dutch to the Netherlands East Indies. The Australian Labor government took the position to support the Indonesian nationalist instead of the Dutch. This position was taken based on the rights of self-government for the dependent peoples enshrined in the United Nations Charter and championed by Australia. Besides Australia’s idealism on the colonial issue, the concern for political development in Indonesia was also based on the growing awareness of the consequences this issue might pose to Australian security. Australia’s support for Indonesia put Australia in a different position with the United States and Britain as both countries supported the Dutch. Australia worked hard to settle the ‘crisis’ in Indonesia and brought the Indonesian-Dutch disputes to the United Nations Security Council even it against the US advise. The period of August 1945 to October 1949 clearly showed that Australia’s independence in making decision on its foreign policy away from the influence of the American and British policy in Southeast Asia. The short-lived independence in foreign policy was overturned in late 1949 with the formation of the new Australian government by the Liberal-Country Party.
Highlights
World War II and the decolonisation process that followed changed Australian perceptions about its immediate surroundings tremendously and Australia began to display an increasing interest in Asia
The policy to support the Indonesians in July 1947 was one of the ‘independent’ decisions made by the Australian government as the United States decided to support the Republic only late in 1948. This was a period of quasi-independence in Australian foreign policy and it had been acknowledged by the Americans in their assessment in August 1948
During the period of 1947-1948, the Americans realised that Australia was anxious to avoid appearing as subordinate to Britain or the United States in its foreign policy
Summary
In Southeast Asia, the end of World War II saw the emergence of nationalism, communism, and anti-colonialism that created instability, especially in Indonesia, Indochina and Malaya. Australia acknowledged this situation and believed that World War II brought the peoples of Southeast Asia an opportunity of political development at a rate previously never been experienced by them. This article focuses on the general development of Australian foreign policy towards Indonesia It is important as the declaration of the independence of Indonesia in August 1945 signified Australia’s relationship with a newly independent Asian country. The conduct of Australian foreign policy became an important issue in Australian politics especially after the appointment of Australia to the United Nations Security Council in early 1946. A good relationship with Southeast Asia was important to the defence of Australia
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