US eyes Indonesia as key partner
With its giant population and moderate brand of Islam, Indonesia is fast emerging as a cornerstone US partner for President Barack Obama's administration, observers say, following the visit to Indonesia of the top US diplomat, Agence France-Presse reported.
Obama spent four years of his childhood in Jakarta and his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, took a nearly 6,000-km detour to Jakarta last week between Tokyo and Seoul on her first official visit abroad.
Clinton said the US is committed to building a "comprehensive partnership" with Indonesia.
"Certainly Indonesia, being the largest Muslim nation in the world, the third-largest democracy, will play a leading role in the promotion of that shared future," Clinton said in Jakarta.
In November, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also appealed during a visit to Washington for a "strategic relationship" with the United States.
Jonah Blank, the chief policy adviser on South and Southeast Asia for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Obama had a "golden opportunity" to make Indonesia a pivotal US partner.
"I think there is greater optimism now than I think we've had at any other point since the founding of Indonesia as a modern nation-state," Blank said.
Lt. Col. Desmond Walton, who handles Southeast Asia policy at the Pentagon, said the US relationship with Indonesia was "underdeveloped" considering the archipelago's vast size and economic potential.
The US is not the only country to heap more importance on relations with Indonesia.
Prosperous Switzerland said last week it had chosen Indonesia as one of the priority countries in Asia for development of a new partnership, The Jakarta Post reported.
Obama spent four years of his childhood in Jakarta and his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, took a nearly 6,000-km detour to Jakarta last week between Tokyo and Seoul on her first official visit abroad.
Clinton said the US is committed to building a "comprehensive partnership" with Indonesia.
"Certainly Indonesia, being the largest Muslim nation in the world, the third-largest democracy, will play a leading role in the promotion of that shared future," Clinton said in Jakarta.
In November, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also appealed during a visit to Washington for a "strategic relationship" with the United States.
Jonah Blank, the chief policy adviser on South and Southeast Asia for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Obama had a "golden opportunity" to make Indonesia a pivotal US partner.
"I think there is greater optimism now than I think we've had at any other point since the founding of Indonesia as a modern nation-state," Blank said.
Lt. Col. Desmond Walton, who handles Southeast Asia policy at the Pentagon, said the US relationship with Indonesia was "underdeveloped" considering the archipelago's vast size and economic potential.
The US is not the only country to heap more importance on relations with Indonesia.
Prosperous Switzerland said last week it had chosen Indonesia as one of the priority countries in Asia for development of a new partnership, The Jakarta Post reported.