Book launch. David Jenkins' "Young Soeharto: the making of a soldier, 1921-1945"

When a reluctant President Sukarno gave Lt Gen Soeharto full executive authority in March 1966, Indonesia was a deeply divided nation, fractured along ideological, class, religious and ethnic lines. Soeharto took a country in chaos, the largest in Southeast Asia, and transformed it into one of the "Asian miracle" economies-only to leave it back on the brink of ruin when he was forced from office thirty-two years later.

Drawing on his astonishing range of interviews with leading Indonesian generals, former Imperial Japanese Army officers and men who served in the Dutch colonial army, as well as years of patient research in Dutch, Japanese, British, Indonesian and US archives, David Jenkins brings vividly to life the story of how a socially reticent but exceptionally determined young man from rural Java began his rise to power-an ascent which would be capped by thirty years (1968-98) as President of Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation on earth. Soeharto was one of Asia's most brutal, most durable, most avaricious and most successful dictators. In the course of examining those aspects of his character, this book provides an accessible, highly readable introduction to the complex, but dramatic and utterly absorbing, social, political, religious, economic and military factors that have shaped, and which continue to shape, Indonesia.

You can order a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/2491

The book will be launched by the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC, followed by remarks by David Jenkins and a Q&A session. The event will be moderated by ANU's Marcus Mietzner. This launch was initially intended as an on-campus event, but given the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, it was decided to proceed with an online launch.

SPEAKERS

The Hon Gareth Evans AC QC

The Hon Gareth Evans AC QC is Australia's former Foreign Minister (1988-1996), President of the International Crisis Group (2000-2009) and Chancellor of the ANU (2010-2020).

David Jenkins

David Jenkins is a journalist and author. He was based in Jakarta from 1969 to 1970 and 1976 to 1980. His first book on Suharto was Suharto and his Generals, 1975-1983, published in 1984.

This seminar will be recorded and will be available to the public through ANU Indonesia Project Channel.