It also signals a relationship that is on an “upward” trajectory, compared to their chequered past with Indonesian military officials previously barred from entering the US amid purported human rights violations. These include President Prabowo Subianto and reportedly also Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin....
And this, analysts say, may have a broader impact on the region and see Indonesia emerge as a “stronger and more credible voice” within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.
“More broadly, the Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) has the potential to elevate Indonesia’s status as a middle power with a firmer strategic footing in Southeast Asia,” said Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations lecturer at Indonesia’s President University and Padjadjaran University. CNA
This is a big move by the Indonesians amidst the American Operation to kill Iranians, a Muslim state. Indonesia has been making many friendly gestures to the Americans, including a place in the Piss Board to make Trump happy. Unfortunately, the Muslim community did not favour this and Indonesia did an about turn, not giving Trump the US$1b for a seat in his Piss Board.
This announcement of a major defence partnership is even more important than being a member of the Piss Board. With increasing military cooperation and the purchase of world class American weapons systems, hopefully not the same types that were offered to the Arabs, Indonesia would become the most powerful nation in Asean, militarily. On the cards must be the most coveted F35s, the real stuff, with no kill switches and with weapons system that would not be subject to Israeli approval. Would Indonesia be able to buy whatever weapons that Singapore can buy from the Americans and of the same quality? Indonesia's F35s would definitely be based in Indonesia, if the Americans agreed to sell.
Further improvement in relations will be military bases or access to Indonesia military bases by the Americans. This would upend Singapore's relationship with the Americans. Maybe Malaysia will be next to join the party. And the biggest winner will be the Americans, fully integrated into Asean and with a bigger military presence in the region.
One good thing, with good relations with the Americans, the Strait of Malacca will be safe from being blockade by the Americans. Trump will not say he wants to take the Strait of Malacca for the national security of America when he has so many friends in Asean, unlike in Europe. Being friends of America has its advantages. The Strait of Malacca will not go the Greenland way.
What would the Iranians be thinking?
1 comment:
In time to come, as far as China is concerned, those choke points are becoming increasingly less relevant. In any case, those choke points were created to cater to only one objective - to strangle China's dependence on energy. And China seems to be the only country exploring solutions to overcome its vulnerability. The same way that China is finding ways to overcome the projection of power using aircraft carriers by investing in hypersonic drones and missiles with longer reach.
China predicted the USA's agenda after the Iraq War of 1991 and had several decades to plan its counter. All the setups - the BRI, the building of oil pipelines connecting countries from the North, West and South began in earnest, the setting up BRICS and SCO with Central Asian countries, the building of massive dams for hydropower, wind farms and solar farms and the mass transition of its entire transportation system moving to electrification are all not by luck but by necessity and for National Security.
The biggest blessing in disguise of all the effort put in must be the pushing of Russia into China's orbit by the USA and the West. The Ukraine War and the sanctions realistically let China have access to Russian energy on the cheap and on a platter.
The investments in the BRI also enabled China to evade all those choke points to some degree and is paying dividends as trade expands. The formation of SCO (Shanghai Co-operation Organization) with the participation of all the Central Asian economies ensured China's ability to access and capitalize on the BRI project. Of course, there were mass demonization of the BRI regarding its debt traps and all that hubris, which is to be expected.
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