U.S. embargo on defense training<\/p>\n
The steps recently taken by the U.S. Congress to postpone
\ndisbursement of funds for defense training in Indonesia needs to
\nbe seen in the light of the tragic murder of an Indonesian and
\ntwo American teachers almost a year ago in Papua.<\/p>\n
The move to block military aid to Indonesia by the U.S.
\nCongress was not taken lightly by the authorities in either
\nIndonesia or the United States. Moreover, the linking of further
\ndefense aid to finding the perpetrators in Papua is confusing, as
\npointed out in Bantarto Bandoro's article of July 25.<\/p>\n
The embargo on U.S. funds to train the Indonesian Military is
\nthe U.S. Congress' way of encouraging the Indonesian government
\nto increase its efforts to find the perpetrators of the Timika
\nmurders. The killing of international school teachers, without
\nbringing the culprits to justice, cannot be good for either
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
What has further confused the issue is that the move by
\nCongress to restrict aid was instituted over the objections of
\nthe Bush administration and the Pentagon, both of which wish to
\nreinstitute military ties at this time.<\/p>\n
The initiative by Congress to place a temporary embargo on the
\nrelease of defense funds shows that the legislature has the right
\nand responsibility to check the executive when it feels it
\nnecessary to protect its constituents. The aforementioned is one
\nexample of the way in which the U.S. democracy functions.<\/p>\n
If the Timika investigation successfully identified those
\nresponsible for the murder of one Indonesian and two Americans,
\nthat would undoubtedly lead to a normalization of the ties
\nbetween the two nations.<\/p>\n
WILLIAM KOEPKE, Oregon, United States<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-embargo-on-defense-training-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }