Brunei: From the Age of Commerce to the 21st Century by Marie-Sybille de Vienne - 2015-03-15

Singapore: NUS Press, 2015. Paperback. New. 19-7-15. The author traces the ups and downs of Brunei's history from the end of the Ice Age to the modern day. While the small state once was an important trading port and exerted influence over an extensive area of the archipelago, it was boxed in by competing European colonial interests in the area. It was not until the discover of oil in 1929 that the state began to come into the modern age. A shrewd decision to keep its independence from it larger neighbours, Indonesia and Malaysia, has enabled the country enjoy the second highest living standards in Southeast Asia (after Singapore). However complexities remain as Brunei attempts to be a conservative Islamic state while adapting to the modernisation its oil wealth encourages. 345 pages with an index. Weight: 0.8kg. Post free within Malaysia