In April 1955, representatives from twenty-nine governments of Asian and African nations gathered in Bandung, Indonesia to discuss peace and the role of the Third World in the Cold War, economic development, and decolonization. The governments of Burma, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka co-sponsored the Bandung Conference and brought together an additional twenty-four nations from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. At the end of the conference all nations in attendance signed a statement that included the promotion of economic and cultural cooperation, protection of human rights, the principle of self-determination, a call for an end to racial discrimination wherever it occurred, and five principles of peaceful coexistence. The US Government expressed concern that the meeting was a sign of a negative shift in the ideological leanings of the newly independent nations of Africa and Asia. US leaders were worried that the anti-colonialism of Bandung and the discussion of global racial politics taking place could turn anti-American or anti-Western. US allies and Asia were able to represent their shared interests with the United States in conference meetings.
enemies too.