Thatcher's defense of Suharto's economic record

Statecraft credits Suharto's opening to Western investment, modernization and private enterprise with improving Indonesian living standards. Thatcher cites World Bank figures for a fall in the share of the population living in poverty from sixty percent to eleven percent. Her defense invokes the threat of communist revolution and the circumstances of East Timor's annexation while acknowledging bloodshed and repression. She says she does not justify all his actions and believes he should have stepped down earlier. Recalling their meetings, she emphasizes his interest in agricultural improvement and accepts that he and his family may have exploited their positions financially. Her favorable overall judgment also includes criticism of Western governments that supported him when useful and later denounced him.