Bush woos Asia, somewhat
George W Bush trod on sensitive ground in his whirlwind Asian tour, writes Damien Kingsbury from Jakarta
The recent tour of the Western Pacific Rim by US President George W Bush is unlikely to be recorded in the history books as a stunning diplomatic success. Indeed, the main, and perhaps only, purpose of the visit was for the US president to reward six regional allies (Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and Indonesia) with his presence. Bush's visit came in the wake of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum held in Bangkok.
The forum, which was established in the late 1980s to promote trade among Pacific Rim states, this year focussed on security rather than economic issues, to the thinly-veiled annoyance of some member countries. This change in the agenda reflects the American ability to assert its influence in APEC even without having membership. Each of the APEC member states export heavily to the US, as well as relying on it for national security, and few would be prepared to incur American wrath by refusing to roundly denounce terrorism.
If Bush's visit to Bangkok produced little more than reserved grumblings and a bland public commitment to oppose terrorism, his stopover in Indonesia was perhaps more interesting for its own symbolism, if not its efficacy. Bush is now able to say that he has visited what one of his advisers has called "Al-Qa'eda Central", although with his visit lasting a mere three-and-a-half hours, it would be difficult to describe it as substantial.
Security was so tight during the visit that even leading Indonesian and Jakarta-based international correspondents were kept well away from Bush and his "embedded" media circus. The closest these journalists were allowed to Bush was a room in the same hotel, where they silently watched the president on closed-circuit television.
Security for Bush's visit included a four-hour no-fly zone at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport and the closure of all streets around the airport and the hotel where Bush met President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Bush's visit was seen in Jakarta as boosting the marginally popular domestic anti-terrorism campaign of Megawati, leading up to next year's already fiercely-contested presidential elections. The Islamist parties are making ground in Indonesia, capitalising on Megawati's ambiguous position on terrorism, especially regarding its relationship with aspects of Islamism.
Interestingly, Megawati arrived accompanied not by her Islamist vice president, Hamza Haz, or Senior Coordinating Minister (and likely competitor in the presidential elections) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, but instead by her defence chief, General Endriartono Sutarto. Endriartono is angling for a renewal of US military shipments, cut off by the US Congress after the Indonesian military's role in devastating East Timor in 1999. The ban continues after the Indonesian military's implication in an attack on school teachers in Papua province in August 2002, in which two Americans were killed. Bush has said he wants to renew military supplies, but the final decision lies in the hands of Congress, which remains opposed.
Besides meeting with Megawati, Bush also had a rocky meeting with five senior Islamic leaders. Rather than being compliant, they demanded that Bush quickly end the US occupation of Iraq, and to have more respect for Islam. Underscoring the difficult position of Indonesia in supporting the US-led "war on terrorism", while Bush was in Bali sectarian violence broke out in the Sulawesi city of Poso. Around a dozen people were killed in an apparently unprovoked attack. Between early 2000 and late 2001, more than 2,000 people were killed in bitter fighting between Muslims and Christians in Poso. According to one informed source, the renewed bout of violence was likely undertaken by former members of the regional Islamic militia Laskar Jundullah in concert with members of Jema'ah Islamiyah. Some 30 Jema'ah Islamiyah members have been arrested in relation to the 12 October 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali which killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. Dozens more have been arrested in relation to other attacks, including the Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing on 5 August which killed at least 14 people.
Calling on Indonesia to continue its fight against terrorism, Bush said, "Indonesia will have a firm ally in the American government and you will have the friendship and the respect of the American people."
After his brief visit to Indonesia, Bush flew to Australia where, presumably due to a greater sense of security, he stayed for 18 hours. Bush personally thanked Australian Prime Minister John Howard for his country's initial support in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Howard committed Australian troops for the early phases of both conflicts, but pulled out quickly, citing military commitments elsewhere (namely, peace-keeping in the Solomon Islands).
In doing so, Howard took credit for supporting Bush, but did not carry the political losses of association with the increasingly sticky situations, particularly in Iraq.
Before Bush arrived, the Labour opposition publicly debated whether it would applaud Bush's address to the parliament. In the end, the opposition members gave a standing ovation, although Green Senator Bob Brown walked out on Bush in protest. Australia has been lauded by Bush as a loyal ally in the "war on terrorism", but this has come at the price of regional alienation, especially with Indonesia and Malaysia. There is a widely held belief in Indonesia in particular that bilateral relations with Australia will improve only when Howard is no longer prime minister.
The regional view that Australia is playing the role of America's "deputy sheriff" was brought up when Bush was asked, in Bangkok, if that was how he saw Australia. Intending well, Bush replied that he considered Australia to be a full sheriff. Given that Howard has spent the past two years trying to play down Bush's original, controversial comment in which he likened Australia to the regional "deputy sheriff" for the US, this was a painful blunder. Howard tried to minimise the impact of Bush's comment with an unconvincing interpretation: the US simply saw Australia as an equal partner in security issues.
However, the remark was understood in the region as a further sign of Australia's separation from its neighbours in security matters. Given that Australia has been sidelined from crucial regional trade discussions, mending fences with its neighbours is an increasingly important priority. Efforts by the US administration to warm relations between Australia and Indonesia, and to construct a regional security bloc, continue to founder.
In part, this failure stems from American pressure on leaders to announce where they stand on the "war on terrorism", which is too often misunderstood in the region (and elsewhere) as a war on Islam. Australia's strident support for the US plays very poorly in Indonesia, which continues to try to accommodate a spectrum of Islamic perspectives, ranging from more traditional moderate, tolerant understanding to a radical Wahhabism. As a result, security, stability and stronger regional relations may come to the region, but not in the near future, and with no thanks to Bush's visit.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 30 October - 5 November 2003 (Issue No. 662)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/662/in2.htm