Word: american
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...leanings, Indonesia is hardly in danger of turning into a theocratic state, and the nation's pluralistic underpinnings are something Obama will doubtless celebrate during his visit. Predictably, some hard-line Islamic groups have already gathered across the nation to thrust their fists in the air and chant anti-American slogans. But their numbers, so far, have been limited. What reigns in Indonesia, instead, is waning optimism for Obama's efforts to re-engage with the global Islamic community, something he has managed to do with some success in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last year, a local Muslim organization called Muhammadiyah...
...Indonesia Matters Indonesia deserves just that. Obama's trip is crucial for introducing Americans to a country that may not evoke much beyond earthquakes and tsunamis but is nevertheless key to U.S. interests. A 17,000-island archipelago, Indonesia boasts the world's biggest Muslim population. It is also the world's third largest democracy (after India and the U.S.), proving that Islam need not be the enemy of political freedom. Back when Obama lived in Jakarta, where his American mother was an anthropologist and aid worker, Indonesia was ruled by a dictator and mired in poverty. Today...
...decades, many Asian countries - from Japan and South Korea to Thailand and the Philippines - were used to counting on an American big brother for everything from economic sustenance to military security. Now there's a new top dog in town: China. Last year, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada proclaimed that this "will be the age of Asia and in that context it is important for Japan to have its own stance, to play its own role in the region" - a role separate from that of the U.S. It's no coincidence that such a sentiment was expressed precisely as China...
...Note that the U.S. isn't involved. "If we are closer to China now, it is only because the U.S. has neglected us," says Kavi Chongkittavorn, a Thai columnist who writes about foreign affairs. Wirjawan, the head of the Indonesian investment board, jokes that, "If I want to get Americans going, all I have to say is China's interested in a deal and they don't worry about the sanctity of contracts or other legal niceties." The creation of an Asian trade alliance could place American big business at a disadvantage. Though U.S. companies have historically invested far more...
...Obama's trip is meant to reassert American influence in the region, the President will also be mindful of Beijing's mood. China was one of the few nations where Bush was genuinely popular, and Obama has had a tough time matching his predecessor's success. In recent weeks China has attacked Obama for approving arms sales to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, and meeting with the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing accuses of masterminding a secessionist movement in Tibet. "The responsibility for the serious disruption in U.S.-China ties does not lie with China but with...