Foreign-policy agenda for the new president

Foreign-policy agenda for the new president

Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is likely to be in charge of the
country for the next five years following an official
announcement by the General Elections Commission that he won
support from three-fifths of the voters. Indonesia now stands at
another crossroads; it is another time for leaders to be
farsighted and to bring the country five years of better domestic
security and improved prosperity.

The challenges Susilo will face are huge given that the
country for the past few years has been beset by series of
turbulent events. Often international players have considered
Indonesia as either weak structurally or even on the brink of
disintegration. The challenge is to build a "new century of
Indonesia" by laying new foundations for a better future. But the
way these challenges are met or ignored by the next president
will certainly affect the lives of each and every Indonesian and
our prospects in the years ahead.

Since Susilo's victory, public commentaries have been focusing
much on the domestic challenges he is likely to face during his
presidency. Although domestic problems would and should be
Susilo's priority -- why he is avoiding foreign trips -- managing
external challenges is as important as negotiating domestic ones.
So, as we near the end of Megawati's administration, it is
perhaps a good time for us to look at the foreign policy agenda
and challenges for Susilo's government.

Consider the world we live in today. In Southeast Asia, we are
at the initial stages in building a zone of peace and stability
through the idea of the ASEAN Community; we are however only
halfway toward building a strong, stable and integrated Asia-
Pacific community. On a more global level, we are witnessing the
continual rise of market democracies, bringing hopes of
prosperity and new opportunities to many. Yet this promising era
is not risk-free. A host of modern threats, from terrorism to
people trafficking and arms smuggling, have also gone global in
that they ignore national borders and thus undermine the
wellbeing of our people and the country's security.

To meet the challenge, Susilo must first understand the nature
of the change that surrounds us. He must acknowledge that in a
rapidly changing and interdependent world the separation of
national and international affairs is becoming blurred if not
problematic. A more globalized world is bound to cause
fragmentation on the one hand and integration on the other,
either on a national or an international level. Judging from
current developments, fragmentation it could be said, is the
dominant trend in today's world politics.

On the foreign policy issue, Susilo once said that if elected
he would protect national sovereignty, promote an active foreign
policy and ensure that Indonesia would be in the frontline in the
fight against terrorism. The essence of such promise is the
national interest because of a considerably close link between
those goals.

However, following up these objectives is certainly not enough
for our foreign policy. To lead the country effectively, either
at the national, regional or global level, Susilo must do two
things at once. First, he must undertake the business of managing
"crises" as they arise. Whether dealing with the possibility of a
new outbreak of violence in Aceh or Papua, or responding to the
future threat of terrorist attacks.

It is all too easy, and sometimes all too tempting, to let
current emergencies dictate our foreign policy agenda. But the
leadership in foreign policy means more than responding to the
crisis and problems of the day. This leads us to the second
aspect of Susilo's foreign policy leadership, namely anticipating
problems the country will face down the road, making investments
that will pay greater benefits or prevent greater costs in the
future.

It is to say that even as Susilo's government deals with day-
to-day events, it must also focus on long-term, strategic foreign
policy goals. Susilo must capitalize on the gains the country has
achieved from its international relations to build a much
stronger and more respected Indonesia.

One knows that foreign policy challenges do not arise in neat
five year cycles. Every administration inherits problems it must
manage. Ours is no different. Here are some "construction
projects" for Susilo's government for the next five years that
transcend domestic and international interests:

(1) building an undivided and more democratic Indonesia;

(2) building a stronger shield against the forces of
destruction;

(3) building a regional defense mechanism -- not a military
one -- a platform that would guard and guide the realization of
the ASEAN Community;

(4) building and expanding international links so as to better
and effectively secure our resources abroad;

(5) building international coalitions to take on challenges
that derive from transnational security issues; and

(6) promoting forces for multilateralism: This would include
tough reforms at the UN forum. Indonesia's desire for a permanent
seat on the UN Security Council must be seen within such reforms.

The peaceful direct presidential election here has given birth
to a new president. Susilo is likely to be the central focus here
and abroad at least for the next five years. The world,
particularly Southeast Asia, will be anxious to see his foreign
policy goals in action. Though some may appear ambitious, the
above goals are feasible enough -- they could be executed by
Susilo's foreign policy team.

The biggest enemy to success is inaction.

If Susilo's foreign policy objective is to protect the
country's interests and to strengthen its international position,
then the country requires active and wider international
engagement.

The writer is the editor of The Indonesian Quarterly of the
Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a
lecturer of the international relations post-graduate studies
program at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences in the
University of Indonesia. He can be contacted at
bandoro@csis.or.id.