Based on a decade of research in Indonesia, this book provides in-depth account of the military struggle to adapt to the new democratic system after the downfall of Suharto's authoritarian regime in 1998. Mietzner's study emphasizes the importance of conflict among civilians in determining the extent of military involvement in political affairs.
Alternately lauded as a democratic success story and decried as a flawed democracy, Indonesia deserves serious consideration by anyone concerned with the global state of democracy. Yet, more than ten years after the collapse of the authoritarian Suharto regime, we still know little about how the key institutions of Indonesian democracy actually function. This book, written by leading democracy …