Introduction

To understand changes in the Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI), particularly its political role, it is necessary to consider the wider political reforms in Indonesia, since reform in the TNI is only a part of the political reforms. Indonesia today is in a difficult period of transition following forty years of authoritarian rule under Soekarno (eight years) and Soeharto (thirty-two years). Therefore, the pendulum of social and political development tends to swing to the other extreme, creating a transition period characterized by fluidity and uncertainty.

The Indonesian crisis is a deep one, encompassing political, economic, social, and even cultural aspects. It is so complex because the economic crisis was followed by a change of leadership in an environment of globalization that has significant effects upon values and identities. Therefore, it will take some years before things settle down and the crisis can be considered to have been overcome. Economic restructuring will take some time to be completed because of the huge magnitude of restructuring, and especially when the team of economic ministers remains less than active. In the political field a process of democratization has been unleashed. To a certain extent, this will be accompanied by some destabilizing factors. In the midst of this, the armed forces, and their prospects, loom large over Indonesia. Professionalization of the army has only just begun, and will take some time to materialize. The military were for so long Soeharto's “praetorian guard”, and thus completely corrupted — now they are also completely demoralized. This has weakened their capability to maintain law and order, resulting in a severely deteriorating security environment.

The challenge for Indonesia is to maintain some sense of identity and its values and culture. In the meantime, there has been a backlash against globalization. Efforts to overcome this are very important. It is perhaps a natural reaction for the people to revert to their traditional values, to their religion, and to their ethnic communities in their search for an anchor.