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PacNet #45 – Yudhoyono’s Election Win and U.S.-Indonesia Relations

One of the interesting photos from the recent Indonesian presidential election featured candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pausing for a day to sit for a doctoral-level examination in agricultural economics at the Bogor Institute for Economics. Given Yudhoyono’s overwhelming victory in the second round of Indonesia’s presidential elections, Indonesia now has a head of state who is at least interested in the details of policy. Yudhoyono’s election will have a positive impact on U.S.-Indonesia relations, but the new president will have to be careful not to be too closely associated with Washington to maintain domestic legitimacy and build coalitions with parliamentary allies.