This book provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia, focusing especially on how the relationship has developed in the last fifty years. It argues that the political relationship between the two countries has been largely defined by rivalry, despite the fact that the processes of national self-determination began by emphasizing Indo-Malay fraternity. It shows how the two countries have different, contested interpretations of Indo-Malay history, and how the continuing suspicion of Javanese hegemony which defined much of the history of the Indo-Malay world is also a key factor in the relationship.

Joseph Chinyong Liow is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His main research interests are in Malaysian domestic politics and foreign policy, and the international politics of Southeast Asia.

Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Glossary Introduction Part 1 1. Kinship and Nationalism in International Relations 2. Kinship and Indo-Malay Historiography 3. A Tale of Two Nationalisms Part 2 4. 1949-1965: Ties That Divide 5. 1966-1980: Re-building the 'Special Relationship' 6. 1981-2000: The Indonesia-Malaysia 'Prestige Dilemma' Conclusion Selected Bibliography