The Colombo Plan

'Lowe's study demonstrates an alternative channel of the voices of the post-independent countries of Asia to the A-A movement of the Bandung Conference (1955). It identifies the Columbo Plan's Consultative Committee as a fora-based international organization grown beyond the original Commonwealth base, where these countries, especially India and Sri Lanka, shaped external and intra-regional aid projects. A great contribution to the growing literature on the history of international development.' Tomoko Akami, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific 'This is a stimulating story of a newly formed Commonwealth-based development organization, the Colombo Plan, and its enduring impacts on the emerging 'Indo-Pacific' region in the long 1950s. We can identify the dynamic interactions between decolonization, the Cold War and economic development in Asia in the context of global history.' Shigeru Akita, Osaka University, Japan 'Lowe expertly reveals the operations and machinations of 'development internationalism,' through the overlooked yet enduring Colombo Plan, exposing how various countries harnessed the program as more than a simple vehicle for aid but a means to reshape international relationships in the Indo-Pacific and beyond in the critical years after 1945.' David Ekbladh, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy