The Boxer Rebellion by Diana PrestonReview by: Lucian W. PyeForeign Affairs, Vol. 80, No. 2 (Mar. - Apr., 2001), p. 185Published by: Council on Foreign RelationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20050126 .

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Recent Books

lyzing the differences in these various

approaches, searching for the best

ways to manage relations with China.

Although the authors acknowledge that

Chinese domestic developments will be a

large factor, they generally imply that the

chance of a peaceful emergence of China

depends on the wisdom and skills of the

United States and of China's neighbors.

Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization

in Indonesia, by Robert w. hefner.

Princeton: Princeton University Press,

2000, 286 pp. $55.00 (paper, $17.95). This thoughtful book argues that Indonesia illustrates the compatibility of democracy and Islamic culture. Hefner

examines Indonesia's social and cultural

patterns, finding that its tolerance and

courteous respect for others meet the

required standards of a democratic

civil society. He traces how the two

Muslim parties, Masyumi and Nahd

latul Ulama, championed Islamic ideals

while coping with the authoritarian

Sukarno and Suharto regimes. Particularly

enlightening is his analysis of the variety of views held by Indonesian Muslims.

He shows how Muslim social and religious leaders developed behind-the-scenes

political ideas that could serve as the

foundations for a pluralistic democracy.

But whereas Islam provided the basis for a

strong civil society, Indonesian society was too weak to contend with the "un

civil state" that dominated the country's

political life. Hefner's study ends with

Suharto's fall and the euphoria sur

rounding Abdurrahman Wahid's election

as president in June 1999. But Wahid's

shaky rule leaves open the question of

whether democracy will be effectively

institutionalized. Hefner makes a

strong case that Islam in Indonesia is

outstandingly civil, but the recent

turmoil casts doubt as to whether it has

the elements essential for democracy.

The Boxer Rebellion, by diana

Preston. New York: Walker &

Company, 2000, 436 pp. $28.00.

Much of the recent scholarly attention

on the Boxer Rebellion has looked at the motivations that fueled it. This

novel account focuses on the experi ences of the 4,000 people (including

3,000 Chinese Christians) from 18

nations who were besieged in Peking's

legation (diplomatic) district during the summer of 1900. Preston recaptures the nightmarish horrors, heroic acts,

and comic stupidities of those trapped

by the armed Boxers and their backers

in the imperial army. Using firsthand accounts by diplomats, business owners,

and missionaries as well as government archives and official dispatches, Preston

documents how a remarkable diplomatic coalition created an international force

to confront the Boxers and force the

Qing court to recognize its international

obligations. An international relief force

was hurriedly organized at Tientsin and

the port of Taku, but the first attempt to

march on Peking

was beaten back before

it reached the city. The final expedition, which succeeded, involved a British

commander managing forces from the

United Kingdom, America, Russia, and

Japan?the last two repeatedly breaking ranks to try to get credit for being the

first to enter the legation district.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - March/April 2001 [185]

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