Author Description

The military has been a powerful political player in Indonesia, and played a key role in its recent history. It was the dominant power under Soeharto's authoritarian regime and continues to influence post-Soeharto civilian rule. Understanding the dynamics of military politics is essential to understanding the nature and prospects of Indonesia's transition to democracy. Jun Honna reveals how politics among generals shaped the direction of military adaptation to democratic challenge during the late Soeharto era and the succeeding two civilian governments, led by presidents B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid. Drawing on military documents and interviews with key military figures, Honna depicts the development of faction fighting within the military and the way in which, since the late 1980s, it has produced both accommodative and repressive demands. To explain the workings of such dynamics in detail, Honna examines five different dimensions of civil-military interactions: regime maintenance; doctrinal adaptation; internal security policy; the development of military ideology; and civil-military discourse - both in the twilight of the Soeharto era and after his fall.