The theoretical framework of this book builds on six cases from four
Asian countries: South Korea, Vietnam, China (the Republican and
Maoist states), and Indonesia (under Sukarno and under Suharto). By
all measures, these four countries are among the most significant in East
Asia. More important, the six cases displayed different patterns of state
formation and varying degrees of cohesiveness in their structures. The
South Korean and Chinese Maoist states were among the most cohesive
in the world. Both states were formed under the confrontation pattern,
namely under the conditions of sharp elite polarization and either brutal
mass suppression or effective mass mobilization. The Indonesian state
under Suharto emerged out of confrontation and also acquired a cohesive
structure in the process. In contrast, the Vietnamese state and the
Indonesian state under Sukarno were formed through an accommodation
path characterized by elite compromise and mass incorporation.