Mini Guide Bandung Conference
Boston Invitational Model United Nations XVI February 10-12, 2017 // bosmun.org MINIGUIDE Bandung Conference + Bandung Conference
The Bandung Conference took place in April of 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. This
conference, co-sponsored by Burma, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, brought
together representatives from across Asia and Africa. In fact, twenty-nine countries were
represented at this conference. The motivation behind this gathering was to discuss peace
initiatives, newly-independent states, decolonization, neo-imperialism, and economic
cooperation. The general theme of this conference focused on sovereignty and self
determination, especially since many of the participants were newly-independent states. The
conference took place under the shadow of the Cold War, with the ever-present awareness of
the many proxy wars between the U.S. and USSR.
PAGE 2 MINIGUIDE Bandung Conference + Topic 1 Resisting Neo-Imperialism
The Cold War began at the tail-end of World War II between the United States and the Soviet
Union. Throughout the late 1940s, and early 1950s, these two nations faced off with military
growth, nuclear proliferation, and proxy wars. In essence, it was the West versus the East.
Many African and Asian nations found themselves mixed into the conflict in one way or
another. For example, Korea faced a devastating civil war between the communist north and
western-backed south. The Soviet Union and Western powers used Korea as a battleground
for ideologies and hegemony, leading to a ravaged and divided nation. The use of proxies in
the Cold War and the intervention of militarized superpowers mirrored the colonization of the
past. In fact, the 1940s and 1950s were a time of decolonization for many African and Asian
states. These new states feared any sign of re-colonization and were therefore wary of foreign
intervention. With military intervention comes power and leverage. Newly-independent states
could not risk losing their developing governments and institutions.
This wariness is the leading motivation behind the creation of the Bandung Conference.
Developing and newly-independent nations wanted to find a way to maintain their sovereignty
through mutual cooperation and solidarity. Many of the newly-independent states were once
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under western rule. Therefore, the focus of resisting neo-imperialism was very much on
western countries like the U.S. and Great Britain. However, many nations were well aware of
the looming threat of soviet intervention and a communist bloc. Developing states attempted
to find ways in which they would not be pawned off between the U.S. and USSR in a power
struggle.
Cold War power struggles and proxy wars were the backdrop to the Bandung
Conference. These issues fueled a need for sovereignty guarantees and peaceful negotiations.
The participants of the Bandung Conference wanted to find methods and relationships that
could help protect them if/when a time came for superpower intervention.
Moreover, many nations feared the risks involved with the U.S.-USSR arms race and
nuclear proliferation. With the introduction of nuclear weapons, wars would not be confined to
a single area, but would affect surrounding regions. It is with this thought in mind that the
leaders of the Bandung Conference sought to outline ways in which they could peacefully
negotiate with superpowers while also not compromising their independence and autonomy.
PAGE 4 MINIGUIDE Bandung Conference + Research Questions
1. What barriers do these nations face when it comes to resisting neo-imperialism?
2. How will the U.S. or USSR react to this goal?
3. What are the origins of the non-alignment movement?
4. Which nations are likely to form a leadership bloc?
PAGE 5 MINIGUIDE Bandung Conference + Topic 2 Economic Cooperation
The nations attending the Bandung Conference were developing not only politically, but
economically as well. Decades of imperialism left mostly agricultural societies in an increasingly
technological world. With the onslaught of globalization, technology, and superpower
economies, African and Asian nations needed to find methods to help them compete on the
international platform.
If these nations were to depend on trade with superpowers like the United States,
Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, they would once again fall into the trap of neo-imperialism.
These superpowers would be able to use their economic superiority and wealth as tools to
intervene in developing nations once again. For example, although Egypt attained
independence from Great Britain in 1922, the government’s dependence on Great Britain for
loans played a major role in the eventual Suez Canal crisis. Newly independent nations realized
the power economic dependence could give superpowers. However, they still needed to find
a way to establish trade and make their mark on the international market.
The Bandung Conference was created with these questions of trading partners and
globalization. The creators of the conference hoped that by bringing together such a large
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number of states, economic and cultural exchange would be inevitable. The nations all have
the common goal of expanding their economies and eventually reaching economic
independence from superpowers. Therefore, it seemed that the best opportunity to achieve
this goal was to establish economic cooperation amongst developing nations,
By fostering economic cooperation, and therefore trade, between developing nations,
they would expand their industries, bringing prosperity for their government and people. This
prosperity would feed into the ultimate goal of autonomy. With increased trade, these nations
would be able to rely far less on their former colonizers. The tricky question is what economic
plan would equally benefit all participating nations while avoiding the influence of either the
U.S. or Soviet Union.
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+ Research Questions
1. Which industries are most compatible with international trade?
2. What policies can the conference adopt to enhance economic cooperation?
3. What obstacles could they face from economic superpowers?
4. How can these nations achieve long-lasting economic cooperation?
5. How do border disputes come into play when talking about economics?
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