57411. The Indonesian Military As A Professional Organization : Criteria And Ramifications For Reform
- Author:
- John Bradford
- Publication Date:
- 01-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
- Abstract:
- As parallel and co-dependent entities, Indonesia's civil government and military (TNI) defy many of the most basic precepts of conventional civil-military relations theory. By analyzing the unique Indonesian relationship, this essay supplements conventional theory. Judging the TNI against three criteria --responsibility, expertise, and corporateness-- reveals a potent, fiercely independent institution with a powerful sense of duty. However, TNI capabilities are undermined by a lack of expertise, a factionalized corporate body, and a membership which pursues excessive self-interest. Such analysis confirms that for democracy to thrive in Indonesia the TNI must "professionalize" but those reforms must be accompanied by the strengthening of civil institutions' ability to both provide for the nation and protect the TNI's material and ideological interests.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Civil Society, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia and Southeast Asia