I highly recommend some history of imperial China and its expansion in the SEA region. ("the lords of the rim"[1], or perhaps anything from James C Scott[2]). Read this together with Jacques Ellul "Betrayal of the West"[3] for a radically different view that will probably have your head spinning.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Rim-Sterling-Seagrave/dp/039914...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Scott#The_Art_of_Not_...

[3] https://archive.org/details/BetrayalOfTheWest