Review of the hardback: 'Jones has written a readable, well-researched piece of work, with an intelligent and convincing line of analysis and a good eye for detail.' The International History Review

Review of the hardback: 'This is a massive and important work of scholarship.' Near Eastern Studies

Review of the hardback: '… makes exemplary and lucid use of a large range of primary sources, among them British government records opened during the 1990s … even transcripts of telephone conversations.' English Historical Review

Review of the hardback: 'Meticulously researched, clearly written and cogently argued, this book is a major contribution to the international history of maritime Southeast Asia. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde

Review of the hardback: 'Jones's book is essential reading for those who wish to understand the realities behind the rhetoric that masked the motives and actions of the politicians in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, London, and Washington as they maneuvered to shape island Southeast Asia into a form that accorded with their individual priorities. Scattered too within his account are flashes of clarifying honesty and insight by the actors themselves into the actual situation that are usually concealed by policy needs and ideological imperatives. … Jones's meticulous analysis of so many of the relevant documents provides a firm bas from which to view the Southeast Asia that emerged from this period of turbulence into a form that basically endured for the rest of the twentieth century.' Indonesia