By Alfred Oehlers
Against a backdrop of continuing violence and instability, the United States must be prepared to take a stronger stand on Papua. Rising tensions there risk complicating critically significant U.S.-Indonesia relations, unnecessarily distracting from the strategically important “rebalancing” towards the Asia-Pacific recently announced by the Obama administration.
By any measure, Indonesia looms large in U.S. foreign policy. Its status as a “Comprehensive Partner” speaks to the country’s political, economic and strategic significance. Moreover, as an influential player in multilateral forums both regionally and internationally, a strong relationship with Indonesia is invaluable in wider U.S. efforts at engagement in the Asia-Pacific – spanning diplomatic, trade and economic matters, through to security concerns such as extremism and maritime issues. In the context of the recent strategic rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific, this significance will only increase in coming years, as the United States seeks to leverage existing relationships with Asian allies and partners. Keeping a healthy bilateral relationship on track will be one crucial element – among many – assisting this delicate maneuver.
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