New opportunities

With a new reformist President in place, Indonesia is suddenly back on the diplomatic "A" list. And Australian Prime Minister John Howard, is very keen to come to the party. What a difference a decade makes.

The election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this month promises the revival of Indonesia's leadership role in the region and possibly beyond. Canberra's renewed enthusiasm for cooperation should come with far less baggage attached than the previous courtship of Jakarta under the former prime minister Paul Keating.

The overwhelmingly positive international response to Susilo's election is partly due to his pro-Western, market-oriented platform and his pledge to swap policy paralysis for sweeping reforms. It is also a result of the unexpectedly smooth democratic process which brought him to office. Hundreds of millions of ballots were successfully cast this year in national and presidential elections - one of the world's most complex electoral exercises.

But it is more than that. Indonesia boasts a moderate Muslim majority and a historic commitment to religious pluralism. This makes Jakarta a very desirable ally for the West, not just in a strategic war on terrorism - including the fight against Indonesian-based extremist cells - but in the broader ideological battle to demonstrate that Islam and democracy can co-exist.

For Australia, closer ties with Indonesia could help open doors across Asia, and the new Cabinet includes at least one senior economist with a close affinity for Australia. But Canberra needs to be wary of unrealistically high expectations. Indonesian Muslims are moderates, but many perceive Western attitudes towards Islam as uniformly negative. This means the president will need to steer a somewhat independent course. And that will make him a somewhat unpredictable new friend.

-- The Sydney Morning Herald

U.S. election Uncertainty

One of the most disturbing, even destabilizing, aspects of the presidential election is the prospect that partisans on either side will deem the outcome invalid if their candidate doesn't win. Republicans are warning of massive fraud by new registrants not entitled to vote, while Democrats complain of an organized program to intimidate and disenfranchise eligible voters.

The tension between preventing fraud and ensuring access is inherent in every election. But the expected closeness of this one, combined with the lingering bruises of the 2000 race, the record number of newly enrolled voters and the added uncertainties posed by a new federal law, have ratcheted that inevitable conflict to a new level.

Those factors have produced an avalanche of pre-election litigation, threaten a difficult and perhaps ugly Election Day in the closest states, and raise the possibility that the victor may once again not be known for weeks.

With polls showing a closer race this time, and with the use of provisional ballots apt to be more widespread, the country could be in for another long and unpleasant post-election period. Both candidates should weigh the potential costs to the country as they deploy their lawyers.

--- The Washington Post

Religion and elections

There are certainly conservative Christians in both the U.S. Democratic and Republican party, but the Christian right has "kidnapped" the Republicans.

This means that its influence on politics has increased or, in other words, a mutual dependence has strengthened the .political importance of religion. And it is among the religious conservatives that Bush hopes to be able to mobilize new voters by making the most of religion in the election.

The problem for the Democrats and John Kerry is that this also puts traditionally Democratic voters with a strong religious view under a troublesome cross pressure.

--- Goteborgs-Posten, Goteborg, Sweden,