Mighty Containment In Geopolitics: Dulles And Seato (1954-1959)

In the period of cold war, geopolitics utilizes widely all over the world. John Foster Dulles is the Secretary of State in the period from 1953 to 1959. His strategy of containment is also affected by geopolitics naturally. In this period, Southeast Asia, the battlefield of two camps leading by United States and Soviet Union, becomes the front of Dulles' strategy of containment unavoidably. Southeast Asia treaty organization (SEATO) is the result of this strategy. Around this organization, it is easy to find that it has a profound relationship with Dulles. Then Author has a series of questions:how Dulles thinks of SEATO, how about American Southeast Policies before he becomes Secretary of State, how he considers this polices, and what kind of functions that he plays in the process of arising, founding and development of this organization, how much influence of Dulles to this organization? Author will try to do a research further for understanding the whole layout and planning of U.S. through reading and arranging plenty of data.This paper, eliminating the part of introduction, contains four parts mainly. Thereinto, part two and part three all are this paper's cores.Part one researches the general situation of Southeast Asia early postwar period firstly. Before the Second War, British, France, Holland and so on, these older colonial countries, are always responsible for the security of Southeast Asia. But post the Second World War, Southeast Asia begins to appear "power vacuum", because of the weaken of colonial rule of these countries and the retreat of Japanese invader. In this circumstance, communist begins to interfere with the situation in Southeast Asia. Ironically, before 1950, the Southeast policies of Truman administration still are focused on the neutralism of Roosevelt administration. As late as 1950, the Truman administration only begins to attach important to Southeast Asia. This behavior makes Dulles dissatisfied strongly. Because in his opinion, he thinks Southeast Asia is very important for America. For this reason, he once had criticized Southeast policies of Truman administration openly many times.Part two researches that Dulles, as the "chief designer" of SEATO, plays a crucial role in the process of raising and founding SEATO. This function is reflected in that he tries to found a regional organization by making "Joint Action" plan in Southeast Asia, and intends to use this organization to contain communist forces expanding to Southeast Asia. For this goal, he does diplomatic lobbying to ally, and after overcoming some frustrations, he successfully ropes British, France, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Philippines in joining SEATO. Henceforth, he takes a talk of Southeast Asia Treaty draft with these states, eventually founding this organization formally.Part three analyses the reasons of Dulles to consolidate SEATO firstly. The reasons as following:one is that the members are dissatisfied with the functions of SEATO. The other is that the situation of Southeast Asia is disadvantage for SEATO. Because of the two reasons, Dulles consolidates it mainly from economic and military.Part four is the summary of this paper. This part makes an evaluation of the function of Dulles in SEATO firstly. Then, through analysis and research,1 think that although Dulles always assert to oppose communist toughly in public, and instigates government to adopt aggressive containment policy for pursuing regional hegemony, and do his best to design and found SEATO for this goal, he yet still keep cautious and continence in practical action later, just hoping SEATO can threaten communist formally in most of time and pursuing regional power balance to avoid irritating communist excessively in tangible content through this defensive containment. Making a comprehensive survey on this contradictory action, it explains one thing that Dulles does not hope breaking out war with communist again. In my opinion, the strategies thinking of Dulles and the development of SEATO, would contribute us to analyze the relationship between global strategies of America and area policies of containment in fifties and sixties from geopolitics, then to support a better case histories for the research and making of Chinese area politics of containment.