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span class="caption" style="width: 398px;">Soemadi Brotodiningrat. JPNo matter which party eventually takes control of the White House, Indonesia is hopeful that the United States will maintain the status quo in promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, said Indonesia’s former ambassador to the US.

“With Romney pulling ahead of the other Republican candidates, the election will depend on the success or failure of President [Barack] Obama’s policies over the last few years, but whichever party takes office , their interest in the Asia-Pacific region will be the same,” said Soemadi Brotodiningrat, former ambassador to the US and senior advisor on international affairs to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Any party in power will have to calculate the risks of an aggressive policy in the Asia-Pacific region. The Indonesian government at the very least will hope to reach agreement with them on maintaining peace and stability in the region,” he said.

In this year’s US presidential election, former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney has so far been the front-runner in the Republican presidential nomination race.

On national security and foreign policy, Romney favors a more aggressive approach to US diplomacy. He was quoted by Reuters as saying that he would reverse defense cuts, spend more on missile defense and maintain a strong military presence in the Asia-Pacific region to keep trade routes open.

On the increasing tension between Iran and America, Romney has suggested that tougher sanctions on Iran be imposed to keep it from building nuclear weapons. He also believes the US should take a more assertive role against China, advising that nations with growing ambitions like China and Russia needed to be watched carefully.

Given a possible conflict between Indonesia and the US over issues with Iran, Soemadi said that although Indonesia was friendly with the Iranian government, a conflict between Iran and US shouldn’t affect Indonesia’s partnership with the US.

“The impact of US measures against Iran will have big consequences in Asia-Pacific, but it’s still hypothetical now. US considers Iran to be an enemy. We don’t treat Iran as enemy, but that doesn’t make us the enemy of US. They don’t need our permission to do anything,” said Soemadi.

Recently, the Indonesian government raised concerns over Iran’s threat to close the Straits of Hormuz. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was quoted by The Jakarta Post last week as calling for a peaceful solution to this issue, which could have a significant impact on the global economy.

On China’s rising power in the Asia-Pacific region, Soemadi said that Indonesians should rest assured, because no one would be interested in turning the ASEAN region into a battlefield.

Although the completion of China’s first aircraft carrier, the ex-Soviet ship Varyag, early last year raised a lot of concern over regional security in Asia-Pacific, Soemadi said that it had little effect on Indonesia.

“US and China both share economic interests in the ASEAN region. I don’t think they are interested in making it a battlefield. China having one aircraft carrier is still insignificant. US and China are both our friends because we share common interests,” said Soemadi.