The Limits of Modernization: American Development Assistance and Southeast Asian Resistance During the 1950s.

The article discusses American economic development cooperation policy toward nations in Southeast Asia during the 1950's. Initially reviewed are the ideals and institutional bases of that American development policy. The regional application and outcomes of those American stances are specifically examined with respect to the modernization and attempts to transform the economies of Indonesia and South Vietnam. The limitations of these efforts are outlined in what the author says are new interpretations based on the efforts' occurring in the context of local resistance and the Cold War.