Politics

Since declaring independence from the Netherlands in 1945, Indonesia has become one of the world’s fastest developing and most economically promising nations. Its assumption of the presidency of ASEAN in 2011 testified both to the increasing interconnectedness of the region as well to the evolution of an Indonesian political system just over a decade removed from authoritarianism. Indonesia’s new democracy committed to addressing the legacy of centralised, authoritarian rule in part through decentralisation, which gave more autonomy to local administrative units. Problems of corruption and bureaucracy still remain, as in any developing country, but the record of post-Suharto politic stability has been a boon to economic development. This chapter contains interviews with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Abdullah Gül, President of Turkey; Marty Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General, ASEAN; and viewpoints from Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State; and William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.