Kopassus: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces [Paperback]

Ken Conboy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2002

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 action-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 over the past fifty years. KEN CONBOY is country manager for Risk Management Advisory, a private security 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 including writing policy papers for the U.S. Congress and Executive on economic and strategic relations with the nations of South and Southeast Asia. The author of a dozen books about Asian military history and intelligence operations, Conboy's most recent title, Spies in the Himalayas, has earned praise as an intriguing account of high-altitude mountaineering and covert missions. A graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and of Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies, Conboy was also a visiting fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and has lived in Indonesia since 1992.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Equinox Publishing; 1st Equinox ed. 2003 edition (November 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9799589886
• ISBN-13: 978-9799589880
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,812,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars new information, August 28, 2006

By 

Muhamad Carlos Patriawan "[e-mail]" (Santa Clara,CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kopassus: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces (Paperback)

very good information from the birth of kopassus until prabowo era. There are many new facts that i dont know before espcially during the struggle for indonesia independence. Thumbs up for author that collected such huge informations that's available nowhere.

4.0 out of 5 stars Kopassus by Ken Conboy, November 17, 2010

By 

tjien o oei (indianapolis, IN, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kopassus: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces (Paperback)

This book is very important for those who are interestedin Indonesia and those who live in Indonesia
Thebook is carefully researched and is pleasent and easy to read

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars View from the other side of the Borneo campaign, June 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Kopassus: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces (Paperback)

KOPASSUS, Inside Indonesia's Special Forces by Ken Conboy.
Gives a look at the other combatants of the Borneo campaign when Malaysia was on the eave of its independence. KOPASSUS was the Indonesian force poised to make Borneo an Indonesian province.

Most accounts of the conflict are covered from the British SAS and Military historical view. This is the first time a history on the opposing force has been published. It gives the role of the KOPASSUS in the nation building of Indonesia and its role in the expansion of a former Dutch colony to becoming the home of the largest Muslim population in the world.

Ken Conboy's book covers the organization and training for the KOPASSUS. The effect of politics and leadership on its growth and employment for nation building and expansion.

It provides an insight into the origins of the more capable Special Operations Forces in South East Asia.