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Can Indonesia cope with Hillary Clinton?
Meidyatama Suryodiningrat , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Thu, 02/19/2009 9:20 AM | Headlines
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is no stranger in dealing with assertive women.
He worked under President Megawati Soekarnoputri and even saw to her eventual demise in the 2004 polls.
But in US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he will have an altogether different prospect in trying to assert Indonesia’s position vis-à-vis the waning American hegemony of the 21st century.
Since her arrival here yesterday, Clinton has made the right overtures.
Delivering the kind of rhetoric that Indonesians want to hear.
“Building a comprehensive partnership with Indonesia is a critical step on behalf of the United States’ commitment to smart power,” she said after meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.
“Certainly Indonesia… will play a leading role in the promotion of that future,” she added referring to the Obama administration’s new outlook on world affairs.
She has even given hope that the US will again resume a strategic yet conforming role in the sub-region by beginning the process of accession to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).
With her guile and charm, there is no doubt that in a mere 24-hour stopover she will enchant the whole nation.
But who really is Hillary Clinton?
Is she a true friend or someone carrying out the international public relations duty of a new president in need of reforming and shoring up global support for Washington?
A study of her record shows she is a politician first — pragmatic and opportunistic — but with a steady penchant for supporting ideological issues that are politically anodyne and indubitable to common sense.
As she wrote in the late 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, “Avoid false choices driven by ideology.”
She is a champion of developing world issues – child care, education, the environment and women’s rights.
She is a supporter of the Kyoto Protocol and as a senator has also pushed for the quick passage of the Education for All Act, which provides US$10 billion to train teachers and build schools in the developing world.
Author Sally B. Smith, in her book on Clinton, For Love of Politics, also wrote that as first lady, Hillary Clinton “deserves more credit than anyone” for securing increased development funding for USAID.
Despite her outstretched hand of friendship as secretary of state, her accomplished, but often exaggerated, foreign policy experience has shown a tendency — both as a senator in the Foreign Relations Committee and running for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party — to remain hawkish in dealing with states regarded as recalcitrant to her own views.
During the Democratic debates, she stood opposite to Obama by seemingly repeating the egocentric policies of the Bush administration.
If elected president, she argued, she would refuse to meet leaders from states like Iran.
Remarks in one debate such as “we cannot have our president meet with these people”, may soon come back to haunt her as secretary of state.
These, and many other issues, stand contrary to Indonesia’s own foreign policy stance.
Clinton opposes the lifting of the embargo on Cuba, and strongly urged president Bush to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games.
Her record on Israel also conflicts with Jakarta’s own view. In 1999-2000, she called for the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to be moved to Jerusalem, the “indivisible capital of Israel”.
Being Democratic Party stalwarts, both President Obama and his secretary of state share similar ideological viewpoints.
Both are showing reluctance on free trade issues and support for Israel, for example. But as the world saw during the debates and nominating process, style makes all the difference.
How much will Clinton’s views sway the Obama US foreign policy vision?
Former president George W. Bush had two very able and accomplished secretaries of state.
Colin Powell was a distinguished soldier, respected and upstanding gentleman.
But he too had to tow the line when his president was eager to invade Iraq.
Condoleezza Rice was an Ivy League scholar, but she could not detour the administration’s plunging into an abyss of recklessness.
Hence, even though the former first lady in her autobiography, Living History, lauds Eleanor Roosevelt’s axiom that women in political life must “develop skin as tough as rhinoceros hide”, she will likely restrain her own instincts and accede to an Obama-run policy orientation.
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John Merah (not verified) — Fri, 02/20/2009 - 8:55am
"Can Indonesia Cope with Hillary Clinton?" - the article is probing and levels justifiable scrutiny as per American motives. For the most part, this is responsible, well-researched, and hard hitting journalism. It is to be lauded.
Some responses and thoughts come to mind:
If in her new role Sec. Clinton proves to be truly "pragmatic and opportunistic," she will absorb the idiosyncratic pragmatism that behooves being her country's top diplomat and opportunistically learn that international cooperation is mutually beneficial for all parties concerned. She can then put behind her the posturing that comes with being a United States Senator. A successful Secretary of State must manifest qualities unique to the office, and to some degree, they should transcend the kind of politics practiced by a U.S. Senator.
In all actuality, it's probably a relief for her. She certainly appears to be liberated. Sec. Clinton will not likely allow her own strong views to get in the way of her job if they run terribly counter to Obama's. She wants to prove her worthiness to the office and would not have taken the job if she held grave doubts to begin with. One never truly knows, but she's much too smart to set up herself or the president for a tragic fall. Much too much is at stake, and her ego is not one that self-undermines.
Clinton's past views on Cuba and the Beijing Olympic games will become so much ancient history in light of her new responsibilities. This is not to deny statements on record or gainsay that she will promulgate her own strong views, but in the end, indeed, she works for the president of the United States.
Having said all this, the world will have to wait and see just how the Obama-Clinton relationship plays-out and translates into U.S. foreign policy. One significant player not mentioned is VP Joe Biden. He will certainly influence some of Obama's foreign policy decision making, and could act as an ultimate buffer between Obama and Clinton when called upon. It's to Obama's advantage to have two very strong personalities and foreign policy wonks on either side of him to both inspire and counter each other as well as himself.
Even though Indonesia and the U.S. maintained respectable relations during Bush's tenure, it is right for the Indonesian government, press, and people to be skeptical towards the U.S. government and question any new administration's policies and motives. No self-respecting country would or should do any differently.
It is important, though, for Indonesia to remain open to the new administration, and certainly Indonesia appears to embrace the possibilities with real enthusiasm. It's clear that President Obama is worth the chance and effort. Remember- it's not only a matter of "coping" with Hilliary Clinton- there is Obama as well!
Despite the differences between the two nations, Indonesia sees that a new day has dawned in its relationship with America. There is no reason to believe Obama's administration sees it any differently. The paranoiac, fear mongering that characterized the Bush administration has- at least for the time- been overturned. And the Indonesian government cannot allow the most problematic of the extant differences- such as the Isreali-Palestinian conflict- undermine the many common interests the two countries otherwise have.
Don't bet presidents SBY and Obama will allow that to happen.
It cannot be denied that the air is rife with a positive charge, and the time is ripe with opportunity for a true flowering of Indonesia-U.S. relations. Both parties will be feeling each other out for some months, but given the vagaries of politics, both sides need to strike while the iron is hot.
And right about now it's as hot as it gets.
PS Condaleezza Rice was educated at the University of Denver, taught at Stanford University, and was a fellow at the Hoover Institute on the Stanford campus. Stanford may be "Ivy League West", but by strict definitions, it is not east coast ivy league.
John Merah
Manado