US gives a long overdue nod to Indonesia
By Ann Marie Murphy
Hillary Clinton deserves credit for making Indonesia the second country she
visited as secretary of state. Indonesia may be the world's fourth most
populous country, third largest democracy, and home to the world's largest
community of Muslims, but it is also the most important country Americans know
virtually nothing about. Clinton's visit sends an early signal to Jakarta that
Washington recognizes Indonesia's growing international clout and builds a firm
foundation for future cooperation.
Clinton's trip had multiple goals: to highlight the example Indonesia's
transition to democracy sets for the broader Muslim world; to reinforce US
interest in Southeast Asia by visiting the
Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to lay
the foundation for a strategic partnership with Indonesia. Indonesian officials
welcomed US attention to their country and recognition of its achievements over
the past decade.
Much of the commentary on Clinton's visit has focused on the example that
Indonesia sets as a political democracy in a majority Muslim nation. Clinton
praised Indonesia's political transformation for illustrating that "Islam,
democracy and modernity cannot only coexist but thrive together." Such
statements ignore Indonesia's religious pluralism. Yes, Indonesia is home to
the world's largest community of Muslims. Eighty-eight percent of its 245
million people profess the Islamic faith, which means that Islam has more
adherents in Indonesia than in all Arab states combined. But it is not an
Islamic state. Indonesia recognizes Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism,
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism as official religions. Most Americans are
surprised to learn that Christmas and Good Friday are national holidays in
Indonesia.
Clinton noted that Indonesia could help the Barack Obama administration by
serving as a bridge to the Muslim world. Many Indonesians believe that their
experience with economic development, political reform, and Islamic terrorism
gives it the authority to speak to the challenges facing the Islamic community
such as poverty, oppression, and "Islamophobia". In a speech in Saudi Arabia,
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed that Islam was once not
only a religion of peace, but also one of progress. He argued that Muslims
should respond to current challenges by embracing technology, modernity, and a
culture of excellence. US interests are clearly served when the leader of the
world's largest Muslim country makes such statements. Indonesia, however, has
never played a large role in the broader Islamic world, and many Arabs view
Indonesians as second-class Muslims. Whether Indonesia can influence its
Islamic brethren remains to be seen.
Divergent stances toward Middle East peace also complicate Indonesia's ability
to serve as a bridge to the Muslim world. The US supported Israel's 2006 war
against Lebanon and its recent invasion of Gaza; Indonesia loudly condemned
both. In Jakarta, Clinton acknowledged Indonesian anger over the actions in
Gaza. She stated that the Barack Obama administration favored a two-state
solution to the crises and would work hard to resolve what she termed a painful
and difficult issue. Many Indonesians have high hopes that the Obama
administration will move away from what they viewed as the Bush
administration's knee-jerk support of Israel and adopt a more even-handed
approach. This may reduce tensions between Washington and Jakarta, but it will
remain a thorn in the relationship until some comprehensive solution is
reached.
Indonesia has also taken steps to promote democracy abroad. It insisted that a
commitment to democracy and human rights be included in the new ASEAN charter.
Jakarta has pressured the Myanmar junta, albeit unsuccessfully, to reform
politically. In December 2008, Indonesia launched the Bali Democracy Forum,
which will bring together over 30 Asian countries for annual meetings to share
experience and work out best practices on political reform.
While a boon to US interests, democracy promotion Indonesian style differs
greatly from its US counterpart. Most Americans have never lived under anything
but a democratic system, so democracy promotion is often an ideological crusade
by people who lack an appreciation of the difficulties involved in building
viable democratic regimes. Indonesians, in contrast, lived through decades of
authoritarianism before embarking on a transition to democracy in 1998.
Indonesia's efforts to promote democracy, therefore, are based not only on
ideology, but also on a pragmatic appreciation of the benefits. Many Indonesian
diplomats claim that what gives their democracy promotion efforts credibility
is their ability to tell others, "if we can do it with all of our problems, you
can do it too".
Clinton's trip to Indonesia also underscores the Obama administration's
intention to pay more attention to Southeast Asia. In Jakarta, Clinton visited
the ASEAN Secretariat - the first by a US Secretary of State. Her announcement
that the US would begin the process of signing ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation, the organization's regional code of conduct, was widely welcomed
in Asia. Ratification of the treaty, however, must be approved by the US
Senate, and it is far from clear whether that support will be forthcoming.
The US and Indonesia both signaled a desire to forge a "comprehensive
partnership" that would expand and deepen all aspects of the bilateral
relationship and create a framework to advance common interests, such as
environmental protection, climate change, trade and investment, democracy,
health, education, counter-terrorism, and regional security issues. Precisely
how this might evolve is unclear. Despite strong Indonesian opposition to the
Bush administration's military invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, relations
improved dramatically during Bush's second term. Washington lifted the military
embargo against Indonesia, extended US$157 million of educational aid,
rescinded its travel ban, and supported the Aceh Peace Process. Officials on
both sides agree that US-Indonesian relations are the best they have been in
decades.
In a December 2008 speech in Washington, President Yudhoyono called for a
"strategic partnership" with the US, but Indonesian officials have backed away
from this term in favor of "comprehensive partnership". Indonesians remember
with gratitude US relief efforts in the wake of the devastating 2004 tsunami.
US restrictions on military-to-military relations and on sales of equipment in
earlier years, however, have created a perception among Indonesian defense
officials that the US is unreliable and made them wary of over-dependence on
the US as a supplier of military equipment. Moreover, Indonesians are staunchly
nationalist, guard their national sovereignty jealously and would never permit
foreign military bases on Indonesian soil. These factors place limits on future
security cooperation.
Environmental concerns, particularly climate change, are issues that both sides
see as a basis for strategic cooperation. Indonesia is an archipelagic state
that has lost a number of its 17,000 islands to climate change and is one of
the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases due to deforestation. But
there are significant domestic obstacles in both countries to environmental
cooperation. For Indonesia, grappling effectively with deforestation will
entail cracking down on illegal logging and plantation building, both of which
are backed by powerful interests. The Obama administration will likely face
significant hurdles attempting to secure congressional support for his
environmental initiatives. In the absence of significant domestic support, it
is difficult to envision how the US and Indonesia can embark on ambitious
cooperation on environmental issues.
Obama is widely popular in Indonesia, and his inauguration has created a new
opening for US-Indonesian relations. This is not only because he lived in
Indonesia as child, but also because of what his election signals about the US.
An America willing to elect a man whose father was a Muslim immigrant from
Africa and who had an Indonesian stepfather is a country tolerant of diversity
and one that lives up to the ideals of equal opportunity it espouses abroad. It
is a country that Indonesians can identify with.
Clinton was wise to seize the opportunity Obama's election created to enhance
relations with Indonesia, despite the obstacles already discussed. What makes
Indonesia a unique international actor is its membership in a number of
important global communities: it resides physically in Asia but is part of the
broader Muslim world, the developing world, and the community of democracies.
Its ability to navigate between these important constituencies in the service
of international peace and prosperity makes Indonesia a potentially valuable
international player. American attention to Indonesia is long overdue.
Dr Ann Marie Murphy (murphyan@shu.edu) is assistant professor at
the John C Whitehead School of Diplomacy & International Relations, Seton
Hall University, adjunct research fellow at the Weatherhead East Asian
Institute, Columbia University, and Asia Society associate fellow.
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