This book throws new light onto the 1963-66 period of confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia. The Brunei revolt in December 1962 started Confrontation but who started the Brunei revolt? Most historical accounts still hold A.M. Azahari of Brunei as culpable, but this book vindicates his role: Roy Henry (from British intelligence) openly admitted responsibility for starting the Brunei Revolt.This is but one result of accessing recently-released archival material and interviewing many former officials (some of whom are featured in the archival material). Documents which no previous works have accessed helped Dr Poulgrain piece together the genesis of Konfrontasi.An American-British group called SIFE (Security Intelligence Far East) was the key to Konfrontasi. The British kept control of Brunei oil, even at the cost of manipulating the Sultanate; and in Singapore, they actively promoted Lee Kuan Yew; but in Indonesia, beyond the joint strategy of ousting Sukarno, the British and Americans were actually rivals.This book looks into the vectors that generated Konfrontasi in early 1963, rather than the attempted solution by President Kennedy in late 1963.

The Genesis of Konfrontasi: Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, 1945-1965 by Greg Poulgrain (2014-08-02)

History

Greg Poulgrain

Asia

Strategic Information and Research Development Centre

Sukarno was at the centre of the conflict between John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles (Director of Central Intelligence). With the intention of removing Sukarno from power, Dulles' strategy of 'regime change' was well-advanced before Kennedy became president. Indeed, his career in intelligence had started even before Kennedy was born! In 1958, DCI Dulles was at the height of his power. He was not simply targeting the Outer Islands in Indonesia, but the entire Indonesian archipelago -- including Netherlands New Guinea where the world's largest gold deposit was located (and is today still being mined). Unlike Dulles, neither Kennedy nor Sukarno was aware of this El Dorado. But when the author interviewed Joseph Luns, the former Dutch Foreign Minister who became NATO Secretary-General, Luns said that he had asked the Americans involved to exploit the huge gold deposit jointly with the Dutch. It was their refusal, Luns said, that actually forced the Dutch out of New Guinea. When Kennedy and Sukarno in 1963 resolved to work together, US foreign policy threatened to disrupt -- unwittingly -- Dulles' own Cold War strategy which was focused on Indonesia. JFK's wariness, after Allen Dulles' role in the Bay of Pigs, drew a tongue-in-cheek but prophetic comment: 'Domestic policy can only defeat us', he used to say. 'Foreign policy can kill us'.

The Incubus of Intervention: Conflicting Indonesia Strategies of John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Greg Poulgrain. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Greg Poulgrain

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Greg Poulgrain. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Genesis of Konfrontasi: Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, 1945-1965 by Greg Poulgrain (2014-08-02)

The Incubus of Intervention: Conflicting Indonesia Strategies of John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles