Indonesia, currently the 18th-largest economy in the world, is experiencing remarkable economic growth. After the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s halted a booming economy fostered by the Suharto government, Indonesian macroeconomic indicators started to come back on track in the mid 2000s. Although the Asian Financial Crisis had disastrous consequences (especially on the poorer urban segments of society), important lessons have been learned too. The financial system for example, which to a large extent lacked supervision and transparency, was replaced by a system entailing more prudent fiscal policies in line with international economic standards, thus fostering integration with global markets. Moreover, the Asian Financial Crisis has been the catalyst for a process of political democratization and liberalization that continues up to the present.