The Dynamics of the Western New Guinea Problem

The Dynamics of the Western New Guinea Problem
Author: Robert C. Bone
Publisher: Equinox Publishing
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2009
Genre: History
ISBN: 6028397164

Considering its importance the dispute between Indonesia and the Netherlands over Western New Guinea (Irian Barat) has received little scholarly attention. Highly tendentious treatment has characterized most writing concerning the issue, and those who would seek a full and unvarnished account have been little instructed. In so far as the press has been concerned with the problem, its attention has been largely focused on U.N. debates and on current statements by the spokesmen of the countries involved. Slight effort has been made either by journalists or by those who have professed a more scholarly approach to dig into the relevant historical background or to give any full account of the contemporary factors which shape this problem. In what is the first major study of the dispute, Dr. Robert C. Bone has to a remarkable degree offset these deficiencies. His report is by far the most substantial and thorough yet to appear, and it is the precursor to a considerably more comprehensive monograph on this subject to be printed in 1960. Having a substantial knowledge of the modern history and contemporary politics of Indonesia and the Netherlands, with at least two years of residence in each of these countries and a command of both their languages, and having devoted two years of sustained research to the problem of Western New Guinea, he is perhaps uniquely qualified to write this study. - George McT. Kahin About the Author Prior to embarking on an academic career Robert C. Bone served as Political Officer in the American Embassy in The Hague from 1947 to 1949 and as Senior Political Officer in the American Embassy in Djakarta from 1951 to 1953. In 1954 he resigned from the Foreign Service and entered Cornell University as a fellow in its Southeast Asia Program. From January through September 1956 he carried out research in the Netherlands under a fellowship from the Ford Foundation. He received his Ph.D. degree from Cornell University in 1957, and has since then been Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Tulane University.

The West New Guinea Debacle

The West New Guinea Debacle
Author: C.L.M. Penders
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 500
Release: 2021-10-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9004487239

This is a history which deals with the end of the Dutch colonial rule, the early independent Indonesia, the West New Guinea question, and the emergence of Papuan nationalism. The book chiefly concentrates on Dutch policies ands perspectives, which have so far generally been ignored in existing English language publications. Netherlands-Indonesian relations between 1950 and 1958 are treated in depth, with a description and analysis of the struggle for power between the early, more Western-attuned and economic-rationalist cabinets, on the support of which the fate of the vast Netherlands-controlled export economy was dependent, and the masses, driven by Sukarno and the populist parties. West New Guinea and Papua nationalism began as early as the 1920s and 1930s, and by the early 1950s the Dutch had set about guiding the Papuans towards independence. This policy had to be aborted, however, with the threat of an Indonesian invasion and the unwillingness of the US to provide armed support to Dutch forces. As a result, Australia, too, was reluctantly forced to abandon the Dutch. Australia was forced to accept the inevitable. It had actively encouraged the Netherlands to hold onto West New Guinea, completed agreements on economic and social cooperation, and conducted in-depth studies about a possible Australia-Dutch defence system against Indonesian aggression. Without US military support, however, the situation became untenable. This book will be required for those seeking to understand the genesis of the situation in West New Guinea today, where Papuan nationalism is again in the ascendant following the recent dramatic events leading to the independence of East Timor. Co-published with Crawford House Publishing

The Papua Conflict

The Papua Conflict
Author: Richard Chauvel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN:

?Without Irian Jaya [Papua], Indonesia is not complete to become the national territory of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.? In recalling this statement of President Sukarno, her father, Megawati Sukarnoputri gave voice to the essence of the nationalists? conception of Papua?s place in Indonesia and its importance. Indonesia today confronts renewed Papuan demands for independence nearly three decades after Jakarta thought it had liberated the Papuans from the yoke of Dutch colonialism. Indonesia?s sovereignty in Papuan has been contested for much of the period since Indonesia proclaimed its independence??challenged initially by the Netherlands and since 1961 by various groups within Papuan society. This study argues that even though Indonesia has been able to sustain its authority in Papua since its diplomatic victory over the Netherlands in 1962, this authority is fragile. The fragility of Jakarta?s authority and the lack of Papuan consent for Indonesian rule are both the cart and the horse of the reliance on force to sustain central control. After examining the policies of special autonomy and the partition of Papua into three provinces, the authors pose the question: If Jakarta is determined to keep Papua part of the Indonesia nation??based on the consent of the Papuan people??what changes in the governance of Papua are necessary to bring this about?This is the fifth publication in Policy Studies, a peer-reviewed East-West Center Washington series that presents scholarly analysis of key contemporary domestic and international political, economic, and strategic issues affecting Asia in a policy relevant manner.

Papua

Papua
Author: Bilveer Singh
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2017-09-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351500945

The Papuan conflict has been on the international radar screen since Indonesia became an independent state in 1945. Since the surrender of the territory of Papua to Indonesia in 1962, a low-intensity military conflict has been building. Most Papuans believed that their right to self-determination was sacrificed on the altar of geopolitics. Later, when East Timor seceded peacefully from Indonesia, Papuans expected the same right. When this did not happen, the conflict intensified. In this pivotal work, Bilveer Singh examines the history of the Papuan struggle, and approaches to conflict resolution through the framework of its geopolitical implications. Asserting that the Papuans were treated unjustly by Indonesia and the international community, it is not surprising that many have come down squarely on the side of Papuan independence as a way out of the imbroglio. While to some extent the Papuan's case cannot be denied, definite political and strategic realities should not be ignored. Unfortunately for the Papuans, their territory has immense geopolitical, geostrategic, and economic significance - not only for Indonesia, but also for others such as the United States, China, Australia, and a number of European countries. Papua is wealthy, under-populated and backward in terms of human resource development. Its future as a distinct entity is in real danger as the Papuans are becoming the minority in their own homeland. Due to the asymmetry of power, the Papuans' struggle has not made a breakthrough that would force Indonesia to rethink the future of the territory in any fundamental way. In order to unravel the dynamics involving Papuan separatism, this study describes the Papuan political landscape. Singh explains what makes Papua unique, and how its makeup has affected the territory's political dynamics. He analyzes the emergence of Papua as a geopolitical trophy, calling into question the degree to which Papuan nationalism has crystallized. Finally, he questions whether Papua is emerging as a regional flashpoint, and, in view of its geopolitical importance, the various options available. "Papua: Geopolitics and the Quest for Nationhood" will be of interest to scholars of international relations, comparative politics of Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific, and policymaking.

External Research

External Research
Author: United States. Department of State. External Research Division
Publisher:
Total Pages: 44
Release: 1963
Genre: Europe, Western
ISBN:

Indonesian Law 1949-1989

Indonesian Law 1949-1989
Author: Pompe
Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Total Pages: 471
Release: 2023-09-20
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9004637893

This work is unique, since it is the first comprehensive bibliography on Indonesian Law listing materials in various languages, including Russian, Japanese and Chinese. The bibliography is divided into various fields of law and each chapter starts with an introduction on the related field. The growing (economic) importance of Indonesia and the increasing trade relations with this country call for an instrument on how to find the law in Indonesia. This bibliography will fill this gap as it includes all material on Indonesian law in a non-Indonesian language which has been published since 1949.

The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia

The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia
Author: Herbert Feith
Publisher: Equinox Publishing
Total Pages: 648
Release: 2007
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9789793780450

This is an intensive study of Indonesian politics from the attainment of full independence in December 1949 to the proclamation of martial law in March 1957, and President Soekarno's subsequent establishment of "guided democracy". It is intended as a contribution to the ongoing discussion of democracy in the new states of Asia and Africa, of the ways in which Western political institutions are transformed when employed in non-Western social settings, and of the obstacles to be overcome if such institutions are to operate in consonance with the authority systems of new nations and with their solution of economic and administrative problems. Now brought back into print as a member of Equinox Publishing's Classic Indonesia series, The Decline of Constitutional Democracy is considered to be the definitive study of Indonesia in the 1950s and will be of great interest to the growing number of social scientists concerned with the pre-industrial nations and in particular with their efforts to use and adapt Western political institutions. This is a solid and scholarly account, but, writing on the basis of much personal observation, Dr. Feith manages to present his material in such a way that readers with no previous background in the subject will be able to follow the book almost as easily as will specialists. HERBERT FEITH (1930-2001) became familiar with Indonesia during 1951-53 and 1954-56 when he was an English Language Assistant with the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Indonesia. A citizen of Australia, he received an M.A. degree from the University of Melbourne in 1955 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1961. He was a Research Fellow in the Department of Pacific History, Australian National University, from 1960 to 1962 and was Chair of Politics at Monash University from 1968 until 1974.

South East Asia Colonial History V6

South East Asia Colonial History V6
Author: Paul Kratoska
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2021-12-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000560570

First published in 2004. The six volumes that make up this set provide an overview of colonialism in South East Asia. The first volume deals with Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch Imperialism before 1800, the second with empire-building during the Nineteenth Century, and the third with the imperial heyday in the early Twentieth Century. The remaining volumes are devoted to the decline of empire, covering nationalism and the Japanese challenge to the Western presence in the region, and the transition to independence. The authors whose works are anthologised include both official participants, and scholars who wrote about events from a more detached perspective. Wherever possible, authors have been chosen who had first-hand experience in the region.