[In PacNet #54 of October 23, 2008, Dr. Ann Marie Murphy made the case for the recognition of Indonesia’s democratic credentials, though “daunting challenges” remain. Alphonse F. La Porta, retired diplomat and former president of the United States-Indonesia Society, argues for a more mature and deeper “strategic relationship” with this linchpin of Southeast Asia.]

Indonesia, surprisingly to many observers, is a successful Muslim-majority democracy that would resist a return to autocracy. As we approach the turn of administrations in Washington, effective United States approaches to the Muslim world and Asian regionalism call for a deeper relationship with Indonesia.