February 16, 2018

Deepening the US-Indonesian Strategic Partnership

Indonesia is a huge archipelago, the most populous predominantly Muslim country in the world, and the most consequential nation in Southeast Asia. Indonesia may have a relatively low public profile, but not as far as the Pentagon is concerned – and something important is happening when it comes to U.S. defense and security ties with Jakarta.

The history of relations between America and Indonesia has been anything but smooth. Indonesia’s founding president, Sukarno – flamboyant, narcissistic, gifted, and ultimately irresponsible – led Indonesia through the 1950s and early 1960s on a fateful political trajectory. Indonesia emerged from Dutch colonial control (and Japanese military occupation) with democratic, Western-oriented, political institutions. But actual governance proved difficult and poverty deepened despite the natural wealth of the country. Sukarno soon seized upon the international Marxist/communist, “anti-imperialist,” “revolutionary” narrative. It was political “bread and circuses” without the bread. By the early-to-mid 1960s he was publicly calling for an Indonesian alignment with China and North Korea – “the New Emerging Forces.” Domestically he became increasingly reliant on the powerful Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). The results were catastrophic. In 1965, a communist-aligned coup (with Sukarno’s tacit if not active support) produced a military countercoup and a national bloodbath.

Read the full article in The Diplomat.

  • Reports
    • May 21, 2025
    Regional and Global Responses to a Taiwan Contingency

    A contingency across the Taiwan Strait has the potential to reshape the Indo-Pacific and even global security environment. This report explores how states beyond the United St...

    By Jacob Stokes, Kareen Hart, Ryan Claffey & Thomas Corel

  • Video
    • May 17, 2025
    What Is Voice of America and Why Trump Is Dismantling the Broadcaster

    For the better part of a century, Voice of America has broadcast into countries whose governments censored free information. The Trump administration has dismantled VOA's pare...

    By Lisa Curtis

  • Reports
    • May 15, 2025
    Democracy in South Asia amid U.S. Aid Cuts

    The practice of democratic governance and the increased number of people across the world participating in national elections are positive trends that will help ensure governm...

    By Lisa Curtis, Kareen Hart & Keerthi Martyn

  • Podcast
    • May 15, 2025
    Lessons from the U.S.-China Trade War

    America and China have agreed to a 90-day truce of their month-long trade war, but the economic uncertainty has not yet ended. Beyond tariffs, the spat had begun spilling over...

    By Edward Fishman

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia