~Susilo and U.S. ties

~Susilo and U.S. ties

Though Indonesian lay opinion of the United States remains hostile, relations at government level are at their most stable after a dizzy run of four presidents following Soeharto's fall. This is evident in the good vibes President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is receiving on his Washington visit. The U.S. military's humanitarian contributions in Sumatra after the tsunami struck last year brought a definitive change in Jakarta's attitudes. But it has mainly been Susilo's attempts at accountable governance and professionalising of the military that have made Washington reassess an important relationship. This linkage is central to Southeast Asia's cohesiveness.

As the region's security depends on a coordinated approach against organised terror and better logistics and firepower in keeping the Malacca Strait safe for global commerce, U.S. willingness to resume full military collaboration with Indonesia is a necessary step.

Susilo received only an undertaking from his host, President George W. Bush, that full restoration and weapons sales will resume upon certain investigations being concluded. The U.S. can be less rigid here. A judicial accounting done to its satisfaction cannot be assured, partly for political reasons and partly cultural. If Jakarta is showing earnestness in purging the military of wrong-headed ideologies, the U.S. should be looking at the larger picture of strengthening Indonesian capability to advance the region's stability.

For all its energy wealth, Indonesia has become a net oil importer. A revitalised energy sector feeding on foreign money and technology is a large part of his programme to create jobs and raise incomes. It remains for his government to show U.S. congressional doubters and businessmen that legal safeguards and the anti-corruption drive are sufficiently conducive to foreign funds. On balance, his growing cosiness with the U.S. will come at some risk to his support base. But opposition can be muted if he gets his investment strategies right. It will benefit the U.S. to help this president achieve his social goals. -- The Straits Times, Singapore

New petroleum pipelines and the world's energy problems

The formal opening today of the US$4 billion pipeline to carry oil more than 1,000 miles from the Caspian to the Mediterranean is a triumph of Western engineering, a strategic coup in the competition with Russia for influence in its former republics and a tribute to the acumen of BP, which holds the principal stake in the international consortium. This "project of the century", which will eventually be linked to the huge Kazakh oilfields in Central Asia, has been built, on time and within budget, in the face of strong opposition from Moscow. It is crucial in lessening Western dependence on oil from the Middle East. And it is an impressive demonstration of technology given that the pipeline traverses some of the roughest topography, political as well as physical, in the world.

It would be unwise, however, to conclude that the pipeline has secured the West's energy future. Despite the vast proven resources of the Caspian and Central Asia, the world's thirst for oil is growing at an exponential rate. The West, therefore, should use the time it has bought and its superior technology to invest seriously, and on a massive scale, into alternative energy sources. This does not simply mean building more unsightly windfarms and waxing lyrical about wave power. Far more important is the search for an alternative to the internal combustion engine, the biggest consumer of petrol and one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions.

At last, the signs are that Western governments and industry are committing themselves seriously to an old idea whose time, thanks to technological breakthroughs, may soon come: the hydrogen fuel cell. Since October, General Motors and Toyota, both leaders in research, have been holding talks about a joint factory to produce hydrogen-powered cars, which would speed up adoption of this environment-friendly technology.

It will take the combined resources and commitment of Western governments, big business and Japanese research to make fuel cells a reality. Their energies should be released now. The new pipeline shows what international co-operation can achieve, but this is merely a petrol station en route to energy security. -- The Times, London