The Politics of Military Reform in Post-Suharto Indonesia: Elite Conflict, Nationalism, and Institutional Resistance

This study discusses the process of military reform in Indonesia after the fall of Suharto's New Order regime in 1998. The extent of Indonesia's progress in this area has been the subject of heated debate, both in Indonesia and in Western capitals. This study evaluates the state of military reform eight years after the end of authoritarian rule, pointing to both significant achievements and serious shortcomings. As the military's primary source of political influence and off-budget revenue, the persistence of the territorial system has ensured that the Indonesian armed forces have not been fully subordinated to democratic civilian control. This ambiguous transition outcome so far poses difficult challenges to domestic and foreign policymakers, who have to find ways of effectively engaging with the military to drive the reform process forward.
          
          The Policy Studies series is published by the East-West Center. Available exclusively from ISEAS for distribution in Asia.