At the Rendezvous of Decolonization

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Abstract:

This article examines the 1955 Asian-African Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia with a particular focus on contextualizing its final commuiqué, a key document of the early postcolonial period. Although the Bandung meeting became and important symbol of Third World solidarity by serving as a precursor or the Non-Aligned Movement, the escalating politics of the Cold War equally compromised its aims. Acknowledging this complexity provides insight the challenges faced by postcolonial countries in the aftermath of mid-twentieth-century decolonization, armid stated ideals of anti-imperialism, economic and cultural exchange, and world peace.