Balance of Power

Indonesian Riots Ask Hard Questions of Prabowo

President Prabowo Subianto is confronting his biggest test since winning power last year

The regional parliament building burns after protesters set it on fire in Makassar, Indonesia on Aug. 29.

Photographer: Daeng Mansur/AFP/Getty Images

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As images of buildings burning and protesters clashing with police across Indonesia flashed online, the parallels with 1998 were inescapable.