Southeast Asia in the new cold war : a socialist analysis.

Abstract

of the first cold war. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia actually saw American invasions while Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia had active insurgencies. According to Noam Chomsky, this cold war occurred because the USA will not allow any country to succeed in an alternate route to development. Now with the retreat of Communism, the US has gotten afraid of another ideology that might seek another route to development that would prove capitalism inadequate. While many Muslim countries are capitalistic, there are provisions in Islam that prohibit some of the most brutal practices of capitalism; usury, exploitation of labor, profiting without adding value and the use of capital to make money. Because of this and because it needs an enemy, the US, with its client states have created a new cold war against Islam. Using Australia as its client in the region, the Americans are fomenting conflict, insurrection and ethnic liberation to maintain control. Again Southeast Asia is a major battleground. In addition to doing the bidding of its suzerain, America, Australia has imperialistic intentions of its own. Now with its control of the economy and political system of East Timor, its military control of the Indonesian military, its involvement in the Muslim insurgencies in Thailand and the Philippines, Australia is in a position to gain control of the oil and other resources of Southeast Asia. While this is happening, they are building up their military and gladly accepting the role of regional “sheriff” for the American empire. In this paper, using a Socialist analysis, I will argue that the real enemy of Southeast Asia is Australia with its American overlord and that the Muslim insurgencies play into the hands of these new imperialists.