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A thought. The American consul to Brunei purchased a 10 year lease to North Borneo. Now, in real life, this did not last due to the pressures of the civil war, which had just ended. There wasn't a lot of interest in the US for Far Eastern colonies as well.

I'm just curious if anything could have come of this.

Now, this is just a thought, but would there be anyway to make the US seriously consider Far Eastern colonies, especially in lieu of purchasing Alaska? I imagine such a change would require a shorter, quicker civil war, or a complete absence of it in its entirety. I'm not sure how best to create such a change in temperament.

As far as I can tell, the sequence of events would go like this.

1. Acquire California and the Southwest
2. Begin settlement of the areas and continue to develop west.
3. Have interests gained in East Indies, either through leases purchases or other private enterprises
4. Settle Civil War earlier. Earlier conclusion, or perhaps avert it, at the time, with a foreign war
5. Acquire a substantial territory in the East Indies. (Sabah wouldn't be enough, I imagine. Possibly the entire Philippines and Spanish East Indies? Another idea below)
6. That would leave the possessions separated by the pacific, which would practically require the acquisition of Hawai'i. Earlier annexation there.

Anywho, there are quite a few problems there. Even if the POD is in the 1840's, there wouldn't be much time to avert the biggest obstacle to such an expansion. It's the reason I think a foreign war would need to break out before or during the beginning stages of the civil war.

An earlier Spanish-American war might be the most obvious launching point, as it would result in the same spoils as in OTL, assuming that the US can beat Spain at such an early point. (Since they don't have the forces built up, would they be able to without months of time building up an actual fleet?) Such a conflict might be difficult to pull off. Then again, one poor incident with a pig nearly set off a war between the US and Britain.

I had the thought of, perhaps, a Dutch-American war breaking out. The only situation that I can think of is, perhaps, that the Dutch may try to enter the Caribbean and force the payment of loans that had been past due (such as Santo Domingo? I can't recall who their creditors were). The only way that they would feel safe doing so would be when the US would be distracted - such as during the beginning stages of the Civil War.

As such, would it be possible to tie such a scenario together? The Dutch launch a quick war against said nation to recoup their losses and perhaps set up a government friendly to them while the USA and CSA fight. Things go poorly for the CSA from the start, and the war is wrapped up within the first year or two, before an Emancipation Proclamation is made and the war becomes about something more than Unionism. (the writing is on the wall, but if the war was proceeding so smoothly, Lincoln would not make such a decree to save the union)

At that point, the Dutch would still be warring in the Caribbean, and Lincoln could possibly take advantage of this to unite his nation against a common foe and invoke the Monroe Doctrine?

The European nations wouldn't be happy, but would they intervene if the Dutch have continuously prosecuted this war and been unable to finish it? Would they instead wait for a few battles to proceed before asking for a summit to end the hostilities? I don't think the US would want to agree to this. Would they want to join in the European Congress system, or just deal directly with the Dutch?

In the process, I imagine that the US might take the Dutch possessions in the Caribbean, ensure protection of Santo Domingo, (not annexation) and enact a few concessions from their east indies colonies. Perhaps they could take the Mollucas and Western New Guinea, and perhaps Sulawesi? Might be interesting if they later on take Sabah through some acquisition, and stumble across the Philippines later. At that point though, there are too many changes to tract without going into great detail.

Later on, the colonies may or may not become part of the US. Indonesia as we know it would not form. There may be a few various nations occupying the island chain. It's not quite a fair trade, as Alaska is closer, has a smaller native population, and wouldn't bother many of the great powers as an East India focus most assuredly would. That, and Russian Alaska would be an interesting dynamic, if they could keep it in the end. (Might an independent nation be setup in Alaska/Siberia if the revolution goes through, in some manner?)


In the end, is such a thought even plausible: A limited presence in the Caribbean (acting more through proxies), no presence in Alaska, and a stronger presence in the Pacific?
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