U.S. Jingoism

U.S. Jingoism

The news about the U.S. plan to send its troops to Indonesia has been denied. Yet, pressure on the Indonesian government has seemingly not subsided yet. United States officials, the mass media and intellectuals continue to voice their belief that Indonesia is a potential den of terrorists.

How should we respond to such pressure?

The international community and the U.S. government have good reason to point at the lack of seriousness on the part of the Indonesian security apparatuses in handling terrorism. Hardly any cases of bombings and terror attacks occurring in Indonesia have been thoroughly unraveled since the downfall of the Soeharto regime. The bombing case at the Jakarta Stock Exchange, which claimed the biggest number of lives to date, remains a mystery, as well as the Christmas bomb cases, when dozens of churches in many cities were hit by bomb explosions at the same time.

Under these circumstances, it is understandable if the U.S. government belittles Indonesia's capability to detect the penetration of the al-Qaeda network into this archipelagic country with thousands of islands. The Indonesian government, as the U.S. said, is inclined to lose its grip in upholding the law and justice.

Yet, although there is no reason to reject the invitation to fight against terrorism, we must query the real motives of the U.S., given that the White House has recently taken measures better associated with the attitude of jingoism rather than that of a prudent superpower.

Forcing the Asian governments, including Indonesia, to strengthen their grip on power may be a boomerang for democracy.

In this context, the U.S. war against terrorism could prompt the emergence of a strong man in Indonesia's military that would take this country back to the times of the authoritarian Soeharto regime.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta