Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals (Oct 2007)
Transition and democratisation in the Asia-Pacific region: The case of Indonesia
Abstract
This article analyses Indonesia’s political evolution from its independence from the Dutch Empire in 1949 to the present day, paying particular attention to the period of transition to, and consolidation of democracy, which commenced in May 1998 following the fall of the Suharto regime. The influence of Islamist terrorism in Indonesia and in other points in southeast Asia (represented by Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia and by the Abu Sayaf group in thePhilippines) is the cause and consequence of the way in which Indonesia the country with the most Muslims in the world is dealing with democratisation. The success of this process will depend upon the possibility of neutralising, on one hand, the attempts of certain doctrinal Muslim groups to place Islam above all the other religions in the country, and on the other, the efforts being made to turn Indonesia into a recruiting camp for new jihadists.
