General Suharto and the Murky Chapter of Indonesian History

In: International affairs: a Russian journal of world politics, diplomacy and international relations, Volume 55, Issue 6, p. 229-241

Abstract

The article evaluates the career of President General Suharto of Indonesia. The author notes that much attention devoted to the deceased leader centers around the 1965 coup. The article provides a detailed narrative of the events leading up to the coup. The article summarizes the research of a number of American and Dutch scholars into what happened during the coup. Scholarly interest in particular centers on why Suharto rescued Sukarno from a court of justice after the conclusion of the uprising. The article also summarizes Soviet and Russian scholarship on the topic. Aleksandr Reznikov, a prominent author, believes that the communist movement failed because the generals who had plotted together with Sukarno deserted his camp. Adapted from the source document.