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ogether, Indonesia and China are now a strategic military team that cooperates in training, maneuvers and people to people exchange, creating a friendship and partnership of immense importance to the welfare and stability of Asia. This is wonderful and may all the generals, admirals, wing commanders and rear gunners live long and very prosperous lives.

Let'€™s get it straight, these guys are in the war business and what they want is the latest and most destructive weaponry on the market, not only to deter aggressors, but also to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. In short, the armed forces are professional killers and if need be they will bomb the living daylights out of the civilian population.  

As time goes by, each country buys whatever weapons it can afford on the pretext of maintaining the status quo, or for self-defense purposes against unnamed enemies. They sit in smoky rooms making war plans as they know, or they think they know, where the attack will come from.

Indonesia'€™s move to join with China is a good one, as in comparison to Beijing, the Indonesia military capability is only powerful enough to repel a naval attack by Brunei, as long as it'€™s not on a Friday.

The US, blowing hot and cold on arms embargoes on unreliable and erratic Indonesia, will no doubt take a poor view of this latest military cooperation, but if Indonesia uses Russian-made fighter planes to bomb a McDonalds restaurant or a Starbucks, then all hell could break loose.

I'€™m sure the becak (pedicab) drivers could come up with a better plan to defend Indonesian shores, which are currently wide open to every Tom, Dick and heroin Harry. Indonesia has over 17,500 islands with about 6,000 of those uninhabited by humans.

David Wallis
Medan