ABSTRACT
The conflict between imperial power and nationalism in the wake of World War II was not always the bipolar struggle described in the tales of ‘national liberation’ and the histories of ‘decolonisation’. This is to be shown on the following pages through the introduction of a third party: the rulers. They were not mere ‘puppets’, but had roles of their own, often decisive roles that changed the outcome of the post-war struggles. Indeed the liberation struggles in Southeast Asia can be seen as a triangular affair, with colonialists and nationalists occupying one corner each and the local ruler the third, admittedly the least conspicuous one (and definitely the least studied).
