More than a half century after its birth as an independent nation, Indonesia remains inchoate, unsettled, and difficult to define. Here, five leading specialists on the country-political scientists, historians, economists, and anthropologists-sum up its volatile history, its present prospects, and its probable futures with balance, insight, and precision. A landmark work.

Clifford Geertz, Institute for Advanced Study

While academic in nature, the book effortlessly draws in readers by laying out an anomaly Indonesia is as a nation-state…. The authors' premise was to provide understanding to students of modern history, scholars on Asia, and anyone in the general public seeking an introduction to contemporary Indonesia. They have succeeded at all levels.

Far Eastern Economic Review

Balanced and persuasive . . . Indonesia: The Great Transition does a splendid job of capturing the central dynamics at play in this fast-changing country and would make a valuable addition to courses on democratization, Asian politics, and Indonesia in particular.

H-Asia

Without any doubt, this book adds to the growing number of academic works on Indonesian politics and it will be useful to both specailists and generalists who are keen to study the evolving political dynamics of post-Suharto Indonesia.

Contemporary Southeast Asia

Post-crisis Indonesia is a different Indonesia, but how different is it and what does it mean for the future? Explaining Indonesia requires an understanding of what has truly changed and what has not. These knowledgeable authors are ideally placed to assess the country's 'great transition.'

Hadi Soesastro, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta