NYT: Obama’s Indonesian Challenge

[Turborama]

By PHILIP BOWRING
Published: November 7, 2010

It would seem curious if an Indonesian president made an official visit to the United States with the object of engaging with the Christian world rather than with a superpower that separates God and government. So do not expect President Obama to use his visit to the predominantly Muslim land of his boyhood to engage with the wider Muslim community. Southeast Asia’s largest country is important for many reasons other than religion, not least as the heartland of the Malay world.

Indonesia may be the most populous Muslim-majority nation — just as the United States is the most populous predominantly Christian one — but like the United States it has an avowedly non-sectarian Constitution. It also has a higher percentage of adherents to minority religions than does the United States. Islamic practices in Indonesia vary almost as widely as do Christian ones in America, and anecdotal evidence suggests regular mosque attendance is at best no higher than church attendance in the United States.

=snip=

Indonesia is not only important as a hoped-for exemplar of liberal democracy in a diverse and still quite poor country. Because of its size and strategic position commanding several key straits, Indonesia has acquired greater importance for the United States as Washington looks to counter Chinese economic power and territorial ambitions.

Indonesia’s international influence has also grown through its membership in the G-20. Given its natural resources and rising population, it is likely that its economy will continue to grow steadily and will remain a profitable location for U.S. investment. But the abiding importance of Indonesia, whatever its government, is its place at the heart of the Malay world — 350 million people linked by linguistic and cultural similarities that often transcend political and religious boundaries. Joining Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia into the unified state of “Maphilindo” was never more than a pipe-dream of the immediate post-independence era. Nevertheless, these islands remain a world apart from China and mainland Southeast Asia.

Obama must recognize Indonesia not only in its totality — of which Islam is just one part — but in the broader context of U.S. interests in Asia.

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/opinion/08iht-edbowring.html?_r=1

[Turborama]

1. Kick for anyone who might be interested in the significance of his upcoming visit.

:kick: