Given that both India and Indonesia have a common interest in preserving their respective democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious polities, they need to work together to induce Myanmar to control the violence against the Rohingyas.
Notwithstanding the relatively lower death toll, the January 14 attack has caused alarm in the region given that it came as proof of the claim made by the IS in 2014 about intensifying its activities across Southeast Asia.
While the Indonesian military played a crucial role in counter-terrorism since the late 1940s, the fall of Suharto in 1998 and democratisation led to the Police dominating this task, especially after the first Bali bombings in 2002. Lately, however, the Indonesian military has reclaimed part of this role, mainly due to the rising threat from the Islamic State.
While Indonesia’s ratification has given a boost to the CTBT, the positions of the other hold-out countries do not show any promise of forward movement.
To maximise gains from their bilateral relations, India and Indonesia have to tread a middle path - a mix of furthering economic complementarities while competing to attract foreign investments.
To maximise gains from their bilateral relations, India and Indonesia have to tread a middle path - a mix of furthering economic complementarities while competing to attract foreign investments.
The Indian Government, and the Foreign policy establishment in particular, can do more to leverage the vast collective experience of Indians in Indonesia and channel it towards the larger ends of bilateral cooperation.
A Joint India-Indonesia Intervention on the Rohingya Issue
Given that both India and Indonesia have a common interest in preserving their respective democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious polities, they need to work together to induce Myanmar to control the violence against the Rohingyas.