This detailed and original study throws new light on the evolution of British policy in Southeast Asia in the turbulent postwar period. Extensive archival research and insightful analysis of British policy demonstrate that Southeast Asia was perceived as a region consisting of mutually cooperating new states, rather than a fragmented mass. A companion volume to Tarling's Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War (CUP, 1996), this book is a major contribution to the diplomatic and political history of Southeast Asia.