Abdurrahman Wahid: Muslim, Democrat, Indonesian President - A View from the Inside

In humiliating circumstances, Indonesia's fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid was forced from office in August 2001 after less than two years in the job. Wahid, almost blind and physically weak after a number of strokes, was widely misunderstood in the West, even being seen as a somewhat comical figure. But in Indonesia the Muslim scholar affectionately known as Gus Dur to millions of people had long been revered by many of his countrymen and highly respected by the country's elites. His life had been one of great public service to his fellow citizens, his religion and his belief in liberal democracy. In this authorised biography, much of it based on unique first-hand observation, Greg Barton introduces us to both the man and his world and attempts to make sense of his controversial public career and presidency. Barton has known Wahid since 1989, when he started researching the influence of Islamic liberalism in Indonesia, and has subsequently spend many months with his subject, including seven months during Wahid's 21-month presidency, both in Indonesia and travelling with him abroad. Anyone who is at all interested in the drama of modern Indonesia will find this view from the inside to be an essential read.