Abstract
The Korean War, which broke out very closely upon the heels of the Communist victory in China, immediately assumed global implications beyond the boundaries of the Korean Peninsula. Essentially a Korean civil war, it immediately became a major ‘hot war’ in the Cold War in Asia. This paper discusses the relations between the United States and Indonesia in the aftermath of the North Korean attack on South Korea, covering the period from the outbreak of the war in 1950 through to the end of the war in 1954. The paper explores the various ways in which the United States attempted to co-opt and coerce Indonesia into the Western camp in the Cold War, and Indonesia’s responses thereto. The central theme of the paper is the interplay between the United States’ policy of containment and the Indonesian policy of non-alignment in the Cold War. An examination of the United States’ policy toward Indonesia, a non-communist but non-aligned nation, vis-à-vis the Korean War, would serve to illustrate the dynamics and nature of the Cold War in Southeast Asia.
Highlights
The ‘Korean War’ broke out in June 1950 and lasted until 1954
It was invariable that the United States and Indonesia clashed over the Korean War, the first ‘hot’ war in the Cold War in Asia
In the tense international atmosphere during the early half of the 1950s, the Indonesians were understandably anxious to avoid being dragged into a possible war between the American-led Western Bloc against the Soviet-led Communist bloc
Summary
The ‘Korean War’ broke out in June 1950 and lasted until 1954. Following very closely upon the heels of the victory of the Communist in China and the establishment of the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) in October 1949, the war immediately assumed global implications beyond the boundaries of the Korean Peninsula. The North Korean attack invoked American re-intervention in the Chinese civil war, accelerated the signing of the peace treaty with Japan and focused Washington’s attention toward Southeast Asia as the target of Sino-Soviet expansion. The impact of the Korean War on the progressive American commitment and involvement in Vietnam had been extensively researched. Its impact on the United States’ relations with the newly independent Indonesia, is much less known. This paper discusses the United States-Indonesia relations in the aftermath of the North Korean attack through to the end of the war in 1954. The newly independent Republic of Indonesia was a non-communist state but chose to be non-aligned in the Cold War. The paper explores the various ways in which the United States attempted to co-opt. The central theme of the paper is the interplay between the United States’ policy of containment and the Indonesian policy of non-alignment
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