Suharto's Cold War: Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and the World

Suharto orchestrated the mass killing of half a million leftists and fellow travelers in 1965 to ensure that communism could never again take root in Indonesia. He constructed a New Order to reverse Indonesia's descent into political instability and economic crisis and mobilized international aid and investment to build his counterrevolutionary dictatorship. He also aimed to project authoritarianism elsewhere in Southeast Asia by assisting right-wing dictators.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 21 August 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

After the tragic murder of senior generals in the Indonesian army by communist party elements in 1965, General Suharto orchestrated a massive slaughter of approximately half a million leftists and fellow travelers. However, his ambitions extended far beyond the mere act of political assassination. Suharto sought to ensure that communism would never again take hold in the archipelago, embarking on a mission to reverse Indonesia's descent into political instability and economic crisis.

Based on extensive access to Indonesian archives and a wealth of international sources, Suharto's Cold War masterfully chronicles the first decades of the Suharto regime at the national, regional, and global levels. Suharto mobilized international aid and investment to establish his counterrevolutionary dictatorship and kickstart processes of economic development. He then set his sights on projecting authoritarianism in other Southeast Asian countries by supporting right-wing dictators across the region. The availability of international capital through the global Cold War facilitated Suharto's ability to achieve the dictatorial and developmental goals that were central to his domestic and regional Cold Wars.

Material realities at home and abroad shaped Suharto's political project, while political considerations in Indonesia and around the world influenced his economic programs. By closely examining the interrelationship between the domestic and international, the political and the economic, Suharto's Cold War makes a groundbreaking contribution to our understanding of Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and the world.

Weight: 652g
Dimension: 163 x 244 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197667224