Though ongoing economic, political, and social crises have kept Indonesia in the headlines for over a year, Southeast Asia's troubled giant remains poorlu understood in the United States. This 17,000-island archipelago, extending over 3,000 miles from east to west, occupies a strategic location that connects the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean to East Asia. The fourth most populous country in the world, Indonesia is home to as many Muslims as the entire Middle East/North Africa region. It is first among equals in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that is a key part of East Asia's prevailing balance of power. Indonesia's domestic turmoil, triggered by the collapse of the rupiah but rooted in profound and longstanding causes, is only now bringing the country the attention that its size and potential warrant.
This volume redresses the scarcity of relevant research on Indonesia available to U.S. policymakers, practitioners, and scholars. The authors, all acclaimed international experts on Indonesia, focus on those areas that are particularly nettlesome for Indonesia's new leaders: the economy, religion and ethicity, civil society, and the military, with a concluding chapter on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and U.S. policy toward Indonesia. The result of their inquiries is a rich, forward-looking volume that provides us with a first glimpse into the future of Indonesia in the post-Suharto era.