Lendle

In a nation where the military has played an influential social and political role since its founding, perhaps no unit has wielded more power–and seen more combat–than Kopassus, Indonesia’s Special Forces. From the jungles of Irian Jaya to the backrooms of Jakarta’s most powerful political figures, this elite group of commandos has influenced nearly every major policy decision taken since its inception in 1952.Here, for the first time, this secretive and controversial unit is exposed in KOPASSUS: Inside Indonesia’s Special Forces by acclaimed author Ken Conboy. In this new age of terrorism and counter-terrorism, and especially in the wake of the October 2002 Bali bombing, understanding Kopassus is an integral part of understanding the politics of modern Indonesia. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in unconventional warfare, contemporary Indonesian history, and the brushfire wars that have swept the Indonesian archipelago.KEN CONBOY is currently country manager for a private security and risk consultancy in Jakarta. Prior to that, he served as deputy director at the Asian Studies Center, an influential Washington-based think tank, where his duties included writing policy papers for the US Congress and Executive on economic and strategic relations with the nations of South and Southeast Asia. The author of over ten books about Asian military history and intelligence operations, Conboy’s most recent title The CIA’s Secret War in Tibet has been called “a fascinating account of one of the CIA’s most tragic covert operations.” Conboy, a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and of Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, was also a visiting fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He has lived in Indonesia since 1992.