A world leader that enjoys speaking of development data & transportation infrastructure over populist claptrap--be still my heart.
17
Americans & their media often act incredulous & scandalized by conservative religious extremism in the “Muslim world”, but rarely interrogate its origins, preferring to lean on Orientalist tropes. In the post-colonial period many Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia, were ruled by left wing secular leaders. During the Cold War the US used covert & overt means to subvert these secular governments, instead supporting the Islamist right, which it saw as a partner against the USSR.
One of the most egregious US interventions in the “Muslim world” occurred in the mid 1960s, after the overthrow of the left-secular president Sukarno by Indonesia’s military. While Western involvement in the coup itself is unclear, what is undisputed is that afterwords the CIA handed the Indonesian military a list it had complied of names of thousands of Indonesian communists. The military went on to arrest the named communists and hundreds of thousands of others - entire communities who allegedly supported the communist party - interned them in concentration camps, & then savagely slaughtered them.
The US thus abetted a politically-based genocide that physically eliminated generations of secular leftist Indonesians. Islamists were empowered as Indonesia was secured as a partner against communism - its army was armed and funded by the US, later waging genocidal campaigns against ethnic minorities - & US corporations were given a free hand to pillage Indonesia’s many natural resources.
17
Thank you for explaining that bit of history. The US media almost never gives any of the back story or the history to explain current events, especially when it comes to US imperialism, covert wars, CIA sponsored military coups or meddling in other countries affairs. If you only read the news you'd think that the world just began yesterday, exactly as it is, with no explanation for the causes of the current situation.
7
My congratulations to Mr. Joko.
He will encourage pragmatism, pluralism and his famous smile.
7
Across the globe, we could use more humble public servants like Joko. Especially in this country.
11
Democracy is compatible with any and all religions. All that needs to happen is for religions to decide to stick to what they know best. That doesn't sit well with religionists who think democracy is theirs to destroy.
5
Maybe there is a God, after all.
8
After 9/11, U.S. foreign policy decision makers faced a choice in the highest priority in our bilateral relations with Indonesia - counter terrorism or supporting Indonesian efforts to strengthen democracy. As a very minor player in that debate, I am proud that we picked supporting democracy as the higher priority.
13
What a refreshing article from an unfairly ignored democracy...what a change from what we read about the silly and tragic-comic goings-on in our supposedly democratic country! This is why I read the NYT...
19