How Susilo improved our international image

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.