How Susilo improved our international image

Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta

With his victory in the country's first direct presidential election giving him a clear mandate for economic reform, among other things, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marked his first year in office on Oct. 20. The performance evaluation of President Susilo's first year -- at least from a domestic viewpoint -- does not reflect a good year for his people.

Yet, his performance in the field of foreign policy seems to reflect the reverse. He is transforming the country into a full- fledged democracy at an opportune time, with the objectives of restoring its credibility and international position and meeting domestic needs.

The success of the democratization process has provided Indonesia with the framework to be more productive, proactive and assertive in its international diplomacy.

It is no secret, however, that foreign policy issues have always fallen outside the mainstream agenda of national policy -- particularly as a series of domestic problems have occurred amid the creation of a more stable and democratic nation.

In reality, the government's foreign policy over the past one year has to some extent succeeded in changing the international community's perception of our country.

The government's commitment to be continually part of the international community -- as well as its full support for a more multilateralized world -- has helped the country gain its confidence over the management and solution of regional and international problems.

Susilo, to the surprise of many -- and compared to his predecessor whose diplomacy appeared to be encumbered by seemingly unclear foreign policy objectives -- has shown remarkable leadership in the realm of foreign policy. He seems to have a good grasp on the country's international affairs and understands the importance of international links if we are to solve our domestic problems.

Susilo is aware that, while Indonesia is perceived as the most influential country in the region, it continues to struggle for its economic recovery. So, his presence at international forums is assumed to be dictated by the need for consistency in the country's foreign relations, so as to maintain external resources for economic development.

The past year saw the country participate in extensive diplomatic activities, proving the irrelevancy of the notion that it is inward-looking. Those in foreign policy communities would not disagree that Indonesia, due to Susilo's foreign policy leadership, is now an outward-looking country very much eager to shape regional and international order and intent on being heard.

This has been the dawn of a new internationalism for the country as it pushes for an ASEAN Security Community and, along with others, reviews membership for the next East Asia Summit.

After the tsunami, Indonesia called for global solidarity to help the victims, and in early January, Jakarta was the venue for a tsunami summit attended by ASEAN leaders, leaders of tsunami- hit countries and donor countries, as well as the UN secretary-general and the president of the World Bank.

In an attempt to add more weight to the country's new internationalism, Indonesia hosted the Asian African Summit attended by 108 countries where a New Strategic Partnership was declared between Asia and African countries to work for peace and prosperity.

So, the execution of the country's internationalism is based on the existence of Indonesia as a sovereign state. The message sent by such a profile is actually to encourage multilateralism, a position that Indonesia has long adhered to, in which world leadership is not held by any single country and to show that our long-term interests are of greater value than our short-term needs. Susilo's foreign policy position may have been dictated by an assumption of the importance of sharing common interests with other members of the international community, and not because of differences in respective countries' policy orientation.

The writer is director of the Scientific Infrastructure and Publication; chief editor of The Indonesian Quarterly, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, and a lecturer of the International Relations Post Graduate Studies Program at the School of Social and Political Sciences, the University of Indonesia. He can be reached at bandoro@csis.or.id.