O N+O T H E R S I T E S Is Pakistan next? Check out the special report at ABCNEWS.com A L S O+T O D A Y "A weapon so powerful, it will destroy the world" By Sarita Sarvate The nation of Buddha, the Veddas and Mahatma Gandhi wants to be a nuclear giant T A B L E+T A L K Cultural illiteracy and the American undergraduate: Are U.S. colleges graduating imbeciles? Sound off in the Education area of Table Talk D A I L Y+Q U O T E No "Seinfeld" for Lenny Kravitz R E C E N T L Y Indian roulette By Jonathan Broder The world's largest democracy goes nuclear, and gambles that it can survive the sanctions coming down on its head (05/14/98) A Starr cannot be extinguished By David Everett Salon uncovers a letter written by the independent counsel detailing the progress of his investigation into 93-year-old Hillary Clinton (05/13/98) Gloves off By Jonathan Broder The fight over the Middle East peace process could get ugly (05/12/98) Changing partners By Carol Lloyd Arianna Huffington spurns Newt and the Republicans, finds liberal friends and cares for the poor (05/11/98) Judicial Watch subpoenas Salon reporters By Jonathan Broder Conservative legal group seeks notes and documents related to Clinton officials and the press (05/08/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		______A country amok Indonesia is past the point of peaceful change. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BY JONATHAN BRODER The world's fourth most populous country is in chaos. Its leader faces the most serious challenge to his authority in 32 years. More than 200 people have been reported dead as riots rage in the capital, Jakarta, and elsewhere. The turmoil in Indonesia erupted last week after 76-year-old President Suharto imposed new austerity measures to qualify for a $43 billion economic rescue plan drawn up by the International Monetary Fund. Indonesia, a country of 200 million people, mostly Muslims, is facing its worst economic crisis in three decades after its currency plummeted and inflation and unemployment soared as a consequence of the wider economic crisis that struck east Asia earlier this year. Seizing on the country's anger over rising prices for food, fuel, electricity and transportation, Indonesian students and other opposition groups are demanding that Suharto step down. Suharto, his family and friends have grown fabulously wealthy, mainly through corruption, his opponents charge. U.S. officials said the unrest in Indonesia has become a prime concern of the State Department, along with rising tensions on the subcontinent following India's recent nuclear weapons tests and increasing indications that regional rival Pakistan may conduct its own atomic weapons tests in response. Officials say there are now fears that the rioting in Indonesia presages a full-blown revolution that could lead to Suharto's violent overthrow and further economic and political instability in east Asia. Salon spoke about the situation with Daniel Lev, a professor of political science and a specialist on Indonesia at the University of Washington in Seattle. Do you think Suharto can survive this crisis? No, I think basically he is finished. And I think on some level Suharto knows that too. Whether he'll step down or try to fight it out is pure speculation at this point. Nobody really knows, and I suspect Suharto himself doesn't know. He has had such an iron grip on the country for the past 32 years. How did he lose it? As he has gotten older, he has lost contact with many of the people on whom he really depends, and his choices have grown narrower and narrower. Now, he's basically down to his son-in-law, Gen. Prabowo, the head of the Strategic Reserve, which is made up of about 5,000 right in the center of Jakarta. He's also the former head of the Special Forces, in which he still has a great deal of influence. They are highly trained, battle-hardened troops known for their ferocity. But there is a great deal of resentment toward Prabowo in the army because his position was basically determined by his father-in-law. At the same time, Prabowo is a man perfectly capable of overthrowing his father-in-law. You're suggesting there are splits in the military. Does Suharto no longer have its firm support? Yes and no. There are many officers who are unhappy with him, who don't like the way he has politicized the officer corps. There are others who resent Suharto because he put his own son-in-law, as well as others very close to him, into military office. On the other hand, the present commander of the armed forces, Gen. Wiranto, like other commanders of the armed forces, served as Suharto's personal adjutant before being appointed to very important positions. This, of course, has given Suharto a great deal of influence over them in terms of personal loyalty. How important a figure is Suharto's vice president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie? If Suharto steps down, will Habibie go with him, or do you think he has the potential to fill Suharto's shoes? Habibie doesn't have a great deal of support. I think that there's a good chance that he would go with Suharto, although it may take a little while. N E X T+P A G E+| What should we watch for? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TOP: A boy adds office furniture to a pile of burning motorcycles Wednesday in Medan, Indonesia. An angry mob had trashed an ethnic-Chinese owned motorcycle shop in the northern Sumatra city. PHOTOGRAPH: AP/WIDE WORLD