Clinton’s Message to Southeast Asia
Sandeep Anand
Research Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
e-mail id:sandeepanand.jnu@gmail.com
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s first official overseas visit to Indonesia on 18 and 19 February was a manifestation of, if pointers are to be believed, a part of bigger shift which is taking place in The US’s foreign policy orientation in general and its policy towards Southeast Asia in particular. To understand the motives and accomplishments of this visit it would be prudent to look at this visit in the backdrop of previous administration’s involvement in the Southeast Asia.
The Bush administration could only promote anti-terrorist cooperation in Southeast Asia while on other issues both vision and focus were missing. The War on Terror meanwhile was perceived as a war on Islam in the region and the US did little to invalidate this perception. The US because of its involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Israel-Palestine issues gave Southeast Asian affairs a secondary treatment. Even its Burma policy during the Bush era remained ineffective and futile. Added to this was its self-inflicted exclusion from East Asia and Southeast Asia by not signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), thereby giving space in the region to China at its cost. Southeast Asian countries, in the absence of the US, could not afford to alienate the giant of their neighborhood and therefore aligned with China in varying degrees. For the region, this era was marked by, to use ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan’s expression, the US’s “diplomatic absenteeism.”
Clinton’s visit to Indonesia came against this backdrop and was “an exercise in undoing the past mistakes” and forging new bonds with the region. It should not be seen as mere a signal for a better Indonesia-US alliance, which is but obvious. The visit signals in a subtle way that “America is back” in the region.
Indonesia became an easy choice for many reasons. It is the largest Muslim country of the world, the third biggest democracy, fourth most-populous country (also the largest in the region having 40 per cent of ASEAN’s population) and a core member of ASEAN. Added to all these qualifications is the fact that President Obama had studied here for four years as a child (1967-1971). By coming to Indonesia, Clinton clearly sent signals to Muslims of the world about the new administration’s benign intentions and an attempted to allay their misplaced fears. Indonesia, as its Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, declared would help United States in “reaching out” to the Muslim world.
Second, visiting Indonesia ahead of China clearly shows the importance Southeast Asia is going to get under this administration. Clinton’s visit to Indonesia addressed the “China issue” in the region in a very subtle way. To quote her, “When the United States is absent, people believe we are not interested - that creates a vacuum that destructive forces can fill.” The Secretary of State announced too, that the new administration was initiating a “process” to “pursue accession” to the TAC.
Once the US signs the TAC, it can use its position to bargain better with Burma with the help of Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. Clinton hinted at this when she talked of the futility of earlier approaches and announced that the two countries would be undertaking a review of strategies to encourage democracy in Burma. A further announcement that she wanted to engage ASEAN in other ways suggests involving ASEAN in a constructive way to find a viable solution to the problem of Burma.
In July this year Clinton is going to attend the ASEAN Post–Ministerial and ASEAN Regional Forum meetings unlike her predecessor who missed two out of four such meetings. This further shows the seriousness that the Obama administration accords to the region.
Clinton’s Indonesia visit - just 24 hours-long - changed many calculations in the region. She sent a positive signal to the Muslim world, pledged to forge a comprehensive partnership with Indonesia, gave glimpses of a changed policy towards Burma, and announced a re-engagement of the region, thereby sending unmistakable signals to China.
Southeast Asia was largely neglected by Bush administration and had to align with China in varying degrees with the engagement ranging from bandwagonning to hedging and soft balancing. Clinton’s visit promises a renewed American presence in the region and it will be quite interesting to see the changes in the politics in the region vis-à-vis China. There is no doubt politics in the region will undergo a change for the good and the real test for the countries of the region would lie in managing two big powers without antagonizing either.
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