~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