Mahathir Mohamad turned Malaysia into one of the developing world's most successful economies. He adopted pragmatic economic policies alongside repressive political measures and showed that Islam was compatible with representative government and modernization. He emerged as a Third World champion and Islamic spokesman by standing up to the West.

Autorentext
BARRY WAIN, a former editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal, was Writer-in-Residence at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. An Australian journalist who lived in Asia for 37 years, he was author of The Refused, an account of the refugee outflow from Indochina after the Vietnam War.

Inhalt
PART I: THE MAKING OF A MALAY CHAMPION Politicized by War and Peace An Early Introduction to Brutal Politics PART II: PRIME MINISTER FOR LIFE, ALMOST From Outcast to Presidential Premier The Vision of a Modern Nation A Volatile Mix of Business and Politics Scandal, What Scandal? Big, Bigger, Bust An Uncrowned King The Perils of a Pragmatic Islam A Strident Voice for the Third World The Destruction of a Designated Heir PART III: TURMOIL IN RETIREMENT A Bare-Knuckle Brawl over One Man's Legacy A Place in History