Indonesia in the Soeharto Years: Issues, Incidents, and Images

During much of General Soeharto's 32 year reign as president (1967-98), Indonesia was seen as a successful test case in Third World development, a wayward pariah turned into a shining example of modern economic planning and democracy. Soeharto's New Order government won awards from the United States for the country's advances in family planning, and the nation's massive development plans earned plaudits from the World Bank and international financiers.

In reality, behind the New Order's benign facade lay an intricate web of nepotism and corruption along with a persistent wide ranging repression of civil liberties, the full scope of which is now just beginning to become apparent.

Indonesia in the Soeharto Years delves into many of the issues and incidents that shaped the nation, from grim years of 1965 and 1966 up until the nation's first direct election of a president in 2004.