ALTERNATIVE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

by Eugene R. Black ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1969

The author is an ex-president of the World Bank who served as elder-statesman advisor to President Johnson. For those in sympathy with his fundamental hopes of sustaining U.S. influence in the region, this is a suggestive, if not striking essay which draws on Bernard Gordon, Theodore Geiger et al. and concretizes a variety of Ball-to-Douglas-style policy directions. Foreign aid and (increased) diplomatic control should be extended within a ""multilateral framework,"" according to Black fostering regional co-operation and relinquishing American counter-insurgency habits. Black's distinction between ""economic growth"" (bad if overemphasized) and ""development"" turns out to mean an emphasis on new ways of financing new infrastructure. After a brief tour of Southeast Asian countries, Black assays the prospects for Japanese-American relations (an active partnership is unlikely); this section and his remarks on international banking are especially worthwhile. There is also a revival of the Mekong Basin development scheme. In its relatively modest way, the book should be influential.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Praeger

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION