ABOUT THE BOOK

This book examines Indonesia`s rise as a power of regional and global significance in the context of the altered geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific. It explains the fundamental transformation taking place in the international image and behavior of Indonesia as the third largest democracy and the largest Muslim democracy, an ardent advocate of global multilateralism, a pro-active leader of the ASEAN-led regional security architecture and a champion of strategic autonomy and multipolarity. It delves deeper to identify the domestic drivers and spoilers of Indonesia`s success story. The book situates underlying principles of the country`s strategic behavior in the context of its own evolving strategic culture rooted in its historical (civilizational, colonial and post-colonial) experiences and widely accepted beliefs and worldviews.

ABOUT Author

Dr. Vibhanshu Shekhar is Scholar-in-Residence at ASEAN Studies Center, School of International Service, American University, Washington DC. Previously, he worked as Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi. He has authored The Politics of Islam, Nation-building and Development: Ethnic Violence and Terrorism in Indonesia (New Delhi: Anamika, 2011) and co-edited India and New Zealand in a Rising Asia: Issues and Perspectives (New Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2012). Furthermore, Dr. Shekhar has published in national and international academic journals, newsmagazines, newspapers, and websites. His writings cover some of the key themes of international relations, including the critical geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific, great power politics, strategic priorities and choices of rising powers (emphasis on India and Indonesia), the ASEAN-led regional security architecture and the US role and importance in Indo-Pacific Asia.