New leaf in U.S.-RI ties

New leaf in U.S.-RI ties

The red carpet treatment President Megawati Soekarnoputri
received during her official visit to the United States last week
went far beyond the normal diplomatic protocols bestowed upon
previous Indonesian leaders.

President George W. Bush made a point of meeting Megawati and
having lunch with her at the White House, in spite of his busy
schedule amid preparations to launch a war against international
terrorism. The White House even scheduled Megawati ahead of Prime
Minister Tony Blair of Britain, America's most important ally.
Megawati's visit itself, coming a week after the terrorist attack
in the United States, went ahead as planned at Bush's insistence.

That, combined with Bush's positive response to Indonesia's
concerns raised by Megawati, suggest that ties between Indonesia
and the United States have moved up to a new and stronger level.

That Indonesia is important to U.S. strategic interests has
long been recognized by many people in Washington. Its strategic
location between two oceans, straddling the equator and
controlling vital sea lanes, its role as a major supplier of
natural resources, including petroleum, its position as the
world's fourth most populous country and the world's largest
Muslim-populated country, all mean that Indonesia is a country
that the United States simply cannot ignore.

Such recognition has hardly been translated into or reflected
in U.S. policies toward Indonesia. The Megawati-Bush meeting
appeared to have placed relations between the two countries, at
least from Washington's perspective, on more solid ground -- one
that recognizes the strategic interests of both countries.

To Indonesia, the United States remains one of its most
important trading partners. The presence of many economic
ministers in Megawati's delegation underpins the main agenda of
her visit: Indonesia's economic recovery cannot be sustained
without the support of the United States and American investors.

The joint statement that came out of the Bush-Megawati meeting
not only addressed Indonesia's economic concerns, including
Washington's US$657 million aid pledge, but more importantly,
their common concerns on various issues, including the rise of
global terrorism and the need to fight it together.

Indonesia's unequivocal support was especially important,
coming as Bush's administration builds an international coalition
to launch its war against international terrorism. Although
Megawati had gone to the United States as the leader of Indonesia
-- representing both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities of her
people -- her support was inevitably seen there as support from a
significant number of the world's Muslim population. This was
important for Bush amid concerns that his crusade against
terrorism was being perceived in some quarters -- or it is
perhaps more apt to say misperceived -- as a war against Islam.

Circumstances have played a major role in changing the nature
of relations between Indonesia and the United States. As an
emerging, if not struggling, democracy, any Indonesian leader
will likely find a sympathetic ear from American leaders. The
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, as deplorable as
they were, affected the way Washington sees Indonesia. Without
these circumstances, Megawati's trip would probably have been
just another visit by an Indonesian leader to Washington.

Now relations between Indonesia and the United States are
founded more upon common strategic interests, mutual respect and
mutual benefit. So long as they are cultivated upon these
principles, there is no reason why Indonesia and the United
States, in spite of their differences, cannot be close friends.

Indonesia and the United States may be very different
geographically, culturally and historically, but as President
Megawati said in her speech before the United States-Indonesia
Society in Washington on Thursday, we both share the same dream.
That is, the dream of creating a great nation, where all men and
women are treated as equals, where people of all races, ethnicity
and religion live side by side in peace and prosperity as one.

As two countries that have very large and very diverse
populations, Indonesia and the United States can learn from each
other in achieving the American Dream, or the Indonesian Dream as
the case may be.