Description
Book SynopsisThis is an account of the military, political and personal life of Abdul Harus Nasution who was a seminal figure in modern Indonesian history in the years prior to his effective sidelining in the 1960s. He was an important commander during Indonesia's struggle for independence, who rose to become a key leader of the Indonesian armed forces under the first president, Sukarno. Perhaps more significantly, he developed ideas about guerrilla warfare that developed into a sophisticated and socially conservative doctrine for the mobilising of civilian communities. This, in turn, became the underpinning of the repressive, military-backed New Order regime of Indonesia's second president, Suharto, who ruled from 1966 until 1998, and which Nasution initially supported. Understanding Nasution's thinking about total people's resistance' is therefore very important for understanding the broader trajectory of Indonesian political history. That includes both the New Order and the emerging democratic
Trade ReviewThis study is a well-written, clear, and nuanced account of the military, political, and personal life of Abdul Haris Nasution, a seminal figure in modern Indonesian history. Understanding his thinking about ‘total people’s resistance’ is vital for understanding the broader trajectory of Indonesian politics. Lucid, thorough, detailed, and tightly-argued, this book corrects errors and omissions in earlier biographies and offers new insights into how Nasution’s ideas evolved. -- Tim Lindsey, University of Melbourne
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Beginnings Chapter 2: Childhoods Chapter 3: The Japanese Occupation Chapter 4: The War against the Dutch Chapter 5: Total People’s Resistance and a Professional Army Chapter 6: Burnishing Credentials: The Idealization of Total People’s Resistance Chapter 7: The Leper Period Chapter 8: Total People’s Resistance as a Military Intervention in Politics Chapter 9: Civil–Military Cooperation Bodies Chapter 10: Territorial Warfare and Territorial Management Chapter 11: Old Age and Legacy
