Summary:  image of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesian eyes. The Republic, in contrast, continued to pursue a strategy of protracted guerrilla warfare combined with a scorched earth policy. As the Security Council resolution failed to provide for joint action against Dutch aggression, the Asian Relations Conference in 1947 was seen as a warning to the Netherlands. The conference swung Western opinion towards the idea of "Asia for the Asiatics", emphasizing the principle of democracy for all. The Soviet Union, however, criticized the conference as a Western scheme for domination. Meanwhile, the Republican resistance to the Dutch offensive grew stronger, with the Republican Army tactfully avoiding direct confrontation and relying on guerrilla tactics. The Dutch army, despite gaining control of main cities, struggled to occupy vast territories, as the Republicans continued their resistance from mountain strongholds and maintained control over rural areas.