Indonesia by Palmier, L H - 1965

Thames and Hudson, 1965. Hardcover. Good/Good. h/b 240 pages, condition is good, this is an ex library book with the usual stamps. The conflict between Indonesia and the Federation of Malaysia together with the recent decision by Indonesia to leave the UN are dominant features of the contemporary political scene in Southeast Asia. They will continue to be a source of discussion and speculation until some kind of agreement is reached both within and without Indonesia's borders. But what of history? Are there clues which might provide an answer to the cause of Indonesia's present attitude? Two thousand years ago Indonesia entered recorded history; today her social, political and cultural life is an amalgam of influences from India, the Arab world, China, Portugal, the Netherlands and Japan. Following her achievement of independence in 1944, two years after the Japanese invasion, she has emerged as a nation with a complex internal conflict and yet with a strong desire to preserve her national unity. In this book Dr Leslie Palmier, Deputy Director of a Southern Asian Research Centre in the social sciences, not only provides the historical and cultural background essential to a study of Indonesia, but also makes a shrewd analysis of the more significant contemporary issues such as ethnic diversity, the economy, the hostility towards Malaysia, and the figure of the controversial President Sukarno.