Thus, while Asia writ large has served as the backdrop of Indonesian foreign policy, Jakarta is always looking for a larger avenue, equal to its size and ambition. The "global maritime fulcrum" is one such concept, as is "dynamic equilibrium" and the "ASEAN Community as part of the International Community".

But without a more nuanced understanding of Asia, Indonesia will also miss out on its many strengths. To begin with, when Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide made his maiden trip abroad, he chose Indonesia and Vietnam. The reasons were simple;

Vietnam is a key part of Indo-China that has always had the anticolonial mentality of resisting foreign invasions, while Indonesia is an archipelago politely masquerading as a state. It is against any form of colonialism that can violate its sovereignty, which in more ways than one is Indonesia's "sakti" (sacred power).

But as vast as Indonesia is, some historians have averred that the word "Asia" was derived from the Phoenician word “asa” which means "east". The Ancient Romans picked up the word from the Greeks. Indonesia has always understood its power in the context of how various colonial powers might want to ensnare it.

This includes the East India Company, the Dutch East India Company, the Japanese Imperialist Forces, only to begin to end with the formation of the NAM and the creation of ASEAN on Aug. 8, 1967.

Indonesia is indeed part of the enlarged geography of the Indo-Pacific, enclosed by the Indian Ocean, Natuna Island near the gateway to the South China Sea and the South Pacific.

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