บท 29: Regional Influence
As history has shown, empires rise and fall. No matter the extent of its territory or length of its reign, an empire will vanish like sandcastles against the waves of time. This idea was the basis of a proposal handed to the government in relation to the country's foreign policy moving forward, though it was initially ridiculed especially during the 1920s.
The Roaring '20s as it was dubbed saw periods of high growth and increased consumer confidence across the Americas and Western Europe. Signs of weakening of any of the empires were non-existent, on the contrary they were getting stronger as the years went by.
This perception of western economic strength however crumbled by the end of the decade as The Great Depression took hold of much of the world. The thought of western empires collapsing began to pop up in the country once again much more so when it is reported that the situation in the newly created Soviet Union is completely opposite of what is happening in the west.
The hardships experienced in the west, in contrast to the situation in the Soviet Union, painted a rosy picture of the policies of the Soviets, coupled with the recession in the country, boosted the popularities of the local Marxist parties.
A focus on the domestic market has been enacted alongside a foreign policy that assumes the gradual retreat of the west from the region, from the islands in the Pacific to the Indian subcontinent.
A number of intellectuals in the country then believed that the country could influence the region's future by engaging more and creating stronger connections with the local peoples and thus petitioned to prioritize trade missions and promote tourism towards these territories.
The 1930s saw the Philippines become active in the region, actively promoting trade and negotiating freedom of movement for its nationals in other nations, especially in the colonies of the Europeans allowing for an expansion of the country's sea routes.
This move allowed the civilian maritime industry to rise to greater heights as well as allow nationalists from other territories to come to the Philippines seeking connections or find inspirations that would help further encourage their countrymen to seek their freedom either through peaceful means, or more violent means.
Nationalists in Asia had been looking to the Philippines as an inspiration. The country's struggle for freedom, and independence against two global powers and its subsequent march as a budding regional power served to further strengthen their resolve for independence, or at least greater autonomy.
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The Philippine's activities in the small islands in the Pacific were purely on trade and disaster response. For the Philippine government, it would not be worth risking getting the ire of the imperial powers in the Pacific as they believed these nations won't even give the peoples of the islands autonomy as they would want everything to stay as it is.
In the East Indies, or what some call unofficially as South and Southeast Asia, the Philippines had a mixed approach with its relations with its neighbors depending on the strength of nationalism in the territory and the country's economic needs.
In British Malaya and North Borneo, as the territories already had greater autonomy, though a number of their decisions still needed British approval, the Philippine government opted instead to make inroads through the expansion of a trade deal.
This way they could make indirect connections with Malay nationalists and promote freedom and sovereignty through tourism while helping Philippine industries.
In the Indian subcontinent, the same strategy was used with additional focus on cultural exchange and business tourism. They hoped to help with the already significant and growing resistance against British rule by providing an additional safe haven for nationalists already in the crosshairs of colonial authorities.
They also hoped that an expansion of trade could help with the nation's economy battered by the pandemic and the economic depression.
The Dutch East Indies on the other hand had the attention of the Philippine's politicians. Nationalism had been on the rise in the territory, with intellectuals leading the way in strengthening the idea of a unified archipelago.
From the formation of the first political parties in the territory to the more recent Communist Party of Indonesia, whom the government sought to have connections with.
The failed revolution in 1926 gave the Philippines that opportunity by giving refuge to some of the party's members and giving them freedom of association, which unfortunately soured relations with The Netherlands and to a lesser extent the British and French.
This souring of relations with the Dutch made trading with the territory extremely difficult. Philippine nationals were also barred from entering the territory, making it impossible for Filipino businesses to enter the market.
French Indochina is also seen by the Philippine government as a nationalist hotspot. Many Vietnamese nationalists in the decades prior had also sought help from China and Japan, much like the case with the Philippines in the early 1900s.
Initially, France allowed Indochina to expand trade and access with the Philippines as they saw the economic benefits it would have on the territory. For a short while, trade between the French territory and the Philippines flourished with talks of expansion to the French mainland.
The victory of the Bolsheviks in Russia increased the wariness of Western nations to any ideology related to Communism. The rise of Marxist parties in the Philippines negatively affected French perceptions of the country, which then worsened with the Philippine's implicit support for the communist rebels in the Dutch East Indies.
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The Philippine's aggressive push for greater regional influence negatively affected its relations with the west in some ways.
It's increased association with communists also didn't help with its reputation, although the government is trying to balance things out to prevent the Europeans, and Americans from severing their ties to the nation.
Even with the country's increasingly left-leaning government, international trade is still one of their primary concerns. The country imports a good number of raw materials, especially oil, to keep its industries running thus the need to keep good relations with the west.
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