Re: IC, Dutch

RWHofrich@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 2/5/00 1:16:57 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> thomas.anderson@university-college.oxford.ac.uk writes:
> 
> > tom
> >
> >  [1] i think. Indonesia became independent from the Netherlands in
1949,
> >  having declared its independence in 1945; i think it was formerly
known as
> >  the Dutch east indies.
> >
> >
> 
> And the Indonesians used captured Japanese weaponry against the Dutch
IIRC
> (or was that the Viets vs the French--could have been both).
> 
> Yes, I know.	Which is why I made them "allies" in this case.

Here's a viewpoint from someone who's had to study the Indonesian armed
forces in the past. Consider a suitable disclaimer about "No connection
to ADFA or any official views of the Australian Government" said.

(Current Day)
The relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands is comparable to
that of India and the UK.

There are an awful lot of Dutch words in Bahasi Indonesian. The cultural
influence is very striking. Less well known is the Indonesian influence
on Holland, a decent Rijstafel (= Rice Table) is rare, but gettable
there. And if you order Nasi Goreng, you might get something which
resembles the original (as opposed to the German version, which is
unspeakable...).
Similarly I got a very good Tandoori Chicken in Derby, at least the
equal of anything from Singapore or parts east.

What this means is that there's a bit of a "Love/Hate" relationship. The
Dutch feel a national guilt complex for colonising the joint. The
Indonesians, while celebrating their independence from Holland and all
things Dutch, often come to rely on Dutch methods or Dutch Companies
(Shell in particular) in difficult times.

There is one more complicating factor: When the Japanese conquered the
Dutch East Indies in 1942, they actually tried to implement some of
their own propaganda about the "Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity
Sphere." In other areas they paid lip-service to it, in most areas they
didn't even bother doing that, but here they tried to integrate the
locals (now freed from the White Mans's Yoke) into the Empire.
It sort of worked. The Indonesian armed forces are the direct descendent
of the Imperial Japanese Army. Which is why the Army has a statutory 30%
of the votes in Parliament, and why there is a Civil and a Military
gubernatorial duo  right down to the city /county government level.
Anyone who'd looked at the various factions of the Japanese military
taking independent actions from Government policy in the 30s (and even
40s) will see exact parallels with what's happening in Indonesia today.
The Indonesian PM can say to the head of the Armed Forces "You must
resign", and said head can just ignore him.
 
[Future History]

I see much the same, with even greater power to the IC Military (given
that they now own SE Asia in toto, a "Lesser SE Asian Co-Prosperity
Sphere" if you like. Having IC mercenaries, sometimes on opposing sides,
is perfectly in character. These aren't usually paid mercenaries as
such, they are regular troops whose commander is being paid to lend them
to whoever. Or whose commander sees some advantage in it, anyway.

As for the Dutch - I see them as treading a tightrope, avoiding being
integrated with the FSE. Having Powerful Friends like the IC would help.
As would playing off FSE-NAC against each other.  
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