Political Change and Consolidation Democracy's Rocky Road in Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and Malaysia

The economic crisis of 1997-1998 triggered political turmoil throughout Asia. In South Korea and Thailand the crisis caused incumbent governments to fall and new political laws and practices to be adopted. Strongman Suharto was pushed out in Indonesia and the country began a difficult transition to democracy. Only in Malaysia has the soft-authoritarian system remained largely unchanged since 1997. This book explains this variation by looking at external pressures from global actors (the IMF and US security policy), popular protests, the nature of the opposition, and elite coalition formation/dissolution at the highest levels of government. Political and democratic consolidation is more likely when the external pressures coincide with goals of reform factions within the country.

Amy L. Freedman was an associate professor of government at Franklin & Marshall College, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is currently the Asia Pacific coordinator of a consulting project on democratization and political Islam. Published works include Political Participation and Ethnic Minorities: Chinese Overseas in Malaysia, Indonesia, and The United States (2000) and several articles: “Thailand’s Missed Opportunity for Democratic Consolidation”, Forthcoming in Japanese Journal of Political Science, Spring 2006; “SARS and Challenges to Regime Legitimacy in China” Asian Affairs (London), Summer 2005; “Economic Crises and Political Change: Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia” World Affairs, Summer 2004; “The Implications of Ballistic Missile Defense for Northeast Asia” Co-authored with Robert Gray. Orbis Spring, 2004; “Political Institutions and Ethnic Chinese Identity in Indonesia”. Asian Ethnicity , Vol. 4, Number 3. October, 2003; “The Effect of Government Policy and Institutions on Chinese Overseas Acculturation: The Case of Malaysia” Modern Asian Studies; Vol. 35, part 2, May 2001 and “Globalized Chinese Capital in Central America” Asia Pacific: Perspectives Vol. 1, no. 1, May 2001. Co-authored with Ethel C. Brooks.

Introduction * Thailand: Successful or Incomplete Democracy * South Korea: The Final Hurdle for Democracy * Indonesia: Democratization but Hurdles Still Remain * Malaysia: Defiance in the Face of Adversity * Concluding Chapter