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.

'...an astute and thorough new biography...' The Economist

...it reads like a thriller...this is a book about Malaysia that must be read.' The Jakarta Post

'Mr. Wain's book is biography at its best.' The Wall Street Journal

'...a masterful biography...Malaysian Maverick is both meticulous and magisterial. This is journalism of the highest order.' Lowy Institute for International Policy

'Barry Wain's Malaysian Maverick will, for a long time to come, be the best companion for a painful national soul-searching for Malaysia...Wain spent two-and-a-half years painstakingly putting together this revealing book...For those who want a peek into the rollercoaster years under Dr. Mahathir and at the same time search for a different future for Malaysia, this is an indispensable guide.' - Malaysiana

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