The civil and military dimensions of Dutch counter-insurgency on Java, 1947-1949

Abstract

Despite its seemingly overwhelming military superiority, theNetherlands never came close to defeating the increasingly effectivenationalist insurgency on Java in the late 1940s. This article argues that thedesperate state of the Dutch counter-insurgency campaign—which tends to beoverlooked for the crucial years 1947-1948—is best demonstrated by focussing onthe failure of the colonial power to integrate the civilian and militaryefforts and on its inability to govern reoccupied territory during the ‘pacificationphase’.</p