Waiting for Barack
Indonesia's defense minister looks at how an Obama presidency could reshape foreign perception of the United States.
In the crumbling living rooms of middle-class Jakarta, men and women who once knew Barack Obama have claimed him as their own, a neighborhood boy made good. Obama has a fan, too, in Indonesia's minister of defense, Juwono Sudarsono, the first civilian to be appointed to the post. Educated at Berkeley and the London School of Economics, Sudarsono is a soft-spoken intellectual who has held posts under every Indonesian president since Suharto. Last Friday, the day after he met with U.S. NavyAdm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Sudarsono talked with NEWSWEEK'S Erika Kinetz about what an Obama presidency might mean for the world at large, and for the warming military relations between Indonesia and the United States, which ended congressional restrictions on military funding to Jakarta in 2005. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: How do you think an Obama presidency would affect U.S.-Indonesia relations?
Juwono Sudarsono: Symbolically it would be very, very important for us, as it would be for the whole Asian [and] African continents. If Obama is elected as president, I think it would reignite the United States as the real light star of hope—that it symbolizes a multiethnic, multicultural, multireligious nation. That's the most important aspect, the symbolism of it. Translating it into American foreign policy will be much more difficult.
What would the biggest challenge be?
Domestic performance. The credibility of a foreign policy rests on the domestic performance of a country. As the largest Muslim country—but not an Islamic state—our biggest challenge is to deliver on our promises at home to be credible abroad. The so-called Muslim moderate promise actually depends on how we deliver on promises at home, on how we provide outreach to the Muslim poor so they will not be attracted to radical ideologies, be it secular or religious.
In 2006, when then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Indonesia, you spoke about America's overbearing foreign policy. How is America doing now?
I think I was misquoted at that time. I did say structurally the United States is too powerful, so, like it or not, the United States will be seen as overbearing everywhere, especially in Muslim countries, because [the United States] represents the epitome of what other countries are not. You [the United States] are white. You are Christian. You are rich. Your technology is superior. All of these countries are not … It's a phenomenon Americans cannot understand.
If you could vote as part of the American global polity, who would you vote for?
Right now? I would vote for Obama. I think he has this message of decency, of fairness, of transcending racial hatred, which cuts across all countries, all nations.
U.S. policy in terms of military relations in Southeast Asia has changed in the last few years. This upsets human rights groups that have negative things to say about the Indonesian military. [Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, among others, say the Indonesian military is guilty of human rights abuses.]
We've been able to persuade liberal congressmen that just to be against a country because of its military dominance domestically—whether it's Indonesia, Cambodia, or now in Pakistan, or in Egypt—can be detrimental to long-term U.S. interests … The real issue is can the country be governed effectively. In many cases, particularly in Third World countries, the only institution that can run the country is the military. But this is anathema to the precepts of liberal democracy … I think [Obama] would understand that a liberal democracy needs a certain degree of economic well-being.
How did your visit with Adm. Keating go?
Our focus is on Hercules transport C-130 [aircraft]. That's the most strategic and important equipment we need. It's not only for troop movements. It provides immediate rescue to troubled areas as a result of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods. The U.S. has provided more of the spare parts for these transport planes. They also provided spares for some of our F-16s which we bought 15 years ago … We have reinstated IMET—international military education and training. We need more and more captains and majors trained in the U.S. so in time they will become leaders of the military and maybe in time become minister of defense … At the moment we are only getting about $16 million a year. It's peanuts. But that's the balance of political forces in [the U.S.] Congress. We are still suffering from this overhang of this image of the cruel military of the past, of military suppression during the Suharto years.
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Member Comments
Posted By: Jrmapu @ 04/28/2008 2:27:46 AM
Comment: Silent Majority - Are you happy now that you got everything off your chest? Now its my turn. Only difference I will state the facts according to the rules, the DNC, and Howard Dean.
The rules state that the superdelegates DO NOT HAVE TO stay with their initial endorsement. They can change their minds AND they can vote for a candidate they feel IS MORE ELECTABLE. The number of delegates make no difference if the race is challenged as close as this one has been. If Obama won this outright, we would be discussing republican vs democrat, not democrat vs democrat. Hillary is not dillusional or trashy at all. ALL of you Obama supporters who kept on cramming him down our throats without any knowledge of REAL politics. POLITICS is what it is. NO one can or will change those rules. Remember rules are made to be challenged at any one time. Also can and has been broken. It happens in sport games. Elections are no different. Young people should know that because it happens on the playgrounds. I recall all of you supporters calling us idiots, we don't know what we are talking about, we're old, we're this we're that. WE may be old HOWEVER, we do know politics and anyone who has the audacity to believe in HOPE and CHANGE is dillusional. The electorates will be the ones to choose the president not the POPULAR vote.
Bottomline, Hillary is playing by the rules set forth by the Democratic National Committee. At this point the way they are deciding the votes is a wash. Doesn't solve anything. The only thing this process will prove is that Florida and Michigan mean nothing. They will remember that in November and we all know the White House WILL go through both FLORIDA and MICHIGAN. Thank-you and have a nice evening.
Posted By: Silent Majority @ 04/26/2008 11:31:32 AM
Comment: Hillary Clinton is a piece of trash. Is she even aware that we are on the verge of WWIII? I guess stuff like that doesn't mean anything to her pompuss, prissy, lilly, spoiled self. This race is supposed to be about who can bring peace to the world, not destroy it in vain attempts at power. She is an idiot. Did she even go to college? I'm wondering whose penis she sucked to get to where she is, oh Bill's. If she had any intelligence she would know that it's Obama who is winning North Carolina, Indiana, Oregon and some other states. Hillary has no chance of winning more delegates. She also has no chance of making peace in the Middle East, not that a spoiled rich person like herself would care. Hillary only cares about HER, how much money SHE will have and how she looks to the people around HER! I can't believe she would even take the time to put out this garbage about Obama's preacher who does have a legitimate beef with America and it's KNOWN HISTORY OF RACISM AGAINST BLACKS, MEXICANS, HISPANICS, ASIAN'S, INDIANS, GAYS, ECT!. Is a black or mixed President that much of a problem to you people. I guess whoever Obama says, "what's up" to on the street he's also going to be responsible for what they say. You know what people like you Hillary supporters make me sick because the truth is that Barack IS A DECENT, HONORABLE and HONEST candidate and that just burns you up all inside becasue of the things you did to get to where you are. Let me tell you this, Obama might not rush into confrontations and that is because he is preparing his mind to make peace in the world and not go to war with it. Don't you even know that there are enemies of this country who secretly have suitcase nukes now. It's people like Hillary Clinton who will take us into nuclear destruction with that "obliterate" Iran thing because she obviously has no foresight, knowledge of intelligence or common sense and she still thinks politics is supposed to be about destroying the other candidate IN THE PRIMARIES! Or is it that Hillary is such a stupid rich snob and can't take it that she will have no connections to the Presidency once this is over. Hillary, you are a piece of trash that should not even have any more say in the media and the people are getting fed up. Don't think for a minute that the silent majority in this country will not eventually speak up about Hillary's not so secret tactics. We are watching, waiting and learning exactly who it is that is the real enemy of the people and she will know it but by then it will be too late because people like Hillary Clinton will finally be classified for what they really are and that's slime! Now you Hillary supporters go somewhere and think hard on that one and leave Barack alone because Karma is a B!T@CH and so is Hillary!
Posted By: Silent Majority @ 04/26/2008 11:31:23 AM
Comment: Hillary Clinton is a piece of trash. Is she even aware that we are on the verge of WWIII? I guess stuff like that doesn't mean anything to her pompuss, prissy, lilly, spoiled self. This race is supposed to be about who can bring peace to the world, not destroy it in vain attempts at power. She is an idiot. Did she even go to college? I'm wondering whose penis she sucked to get to where she is, oh Bill's. If she had any intelligence she would know that it's Obama who is winning North Carolina, Indiana, Oregon and some other states. Hillary has no chance of winning more delegates. She also has no chance of making peace in the Middle East, not that a spoiled rich person like herself would care. Hillary only cares about HER, how much money SHE will have and how she looks to the people around HER! I can't believe she would even take the time to put out this garbage about Obama's preacher who does have a legitimate beef with America and it's KNOWN HISTORY OF RACISM AGAINST BLACKS, MEXICANS, HISPANICS, ASIAN'S, INDIANS, GAYS, ECT!. Is a black or mixed President that much of a problem to you people. I guess whoever Obama says, "what's up" to on the street he's also going to be responsible for what they say. You know what people like you Hillary supporters make me sick because the truth is that Barack IS A DECENT, HONORABLE and HONEST candidate and that just burns you up all inside becasue of the things you did to get to where you are. Let me tell you this, Obama might not rush into confrontations and that is because he is preparing his mind to make peace in the world and not go to war with it. Don't you even know that there are enemies of this country who secretly have suitcase nukes now. It's people like Hillary Clinton who will take us into nuclear destruction with that "obliterate" Iran thing because she obviously has no foresight, knowledge of intelligence or common sense and she still thinks politics is supposed to be about destroying the other candidate IN THE PRIMARIES! Or is it that Hillary is such a stupid rich snob and can't take it that she will have no connections to the Presidency once this is over. Hillary, you are a piece of trash that should not even have any more say in the media and the people are getting fed up. Don't think for a minute that the silent majority in this country will not eventually speak up about Hillary's not so secret tactics. We are watching, waiting and learning exactly who it is that is the real enemy of the people and she will know it but by then it will be too late because people like Hillary Clinton will finally be classified for what they really are and that's slime! Now you Hillary supporters go somewhere and think hard on that one and leave Barack alone because Karma is a B!T@CH and so is Hillary!