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1 1 (November 7, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govenlb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con re s bnal Research Se info rriin§ th ieg~ It 'e deba ~n o 1. 14 Updated November 7, 2023 Indonesia Wit over 279 million citizens, Indonesia is the most popuious country in Southeast Asia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, and the world's third- largest democracy (after India and the United States). It has the world's l6thlargest economy and the 7t-largest when ranked by purchasing power parity. It straddles vital sea lanes and borders the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest trade routes, as well as the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Over the past two decades, Indonesia has become a robust democracy, holding four direct presidential elections, each considered by international observers to have been largely free and fair. In the most recent, held in April 2019, President Joko Widodo was reelected to a second five-year term. The next national elections are slated for February 14, 2024. President Widodo is barred by term limits from seeking a third term. The U.S.-Indonesia relationship has broadened in recent years, with closer military and counterterrorism cooperation and a range of new educational, environmental, and energy programs initiated during the Obama Administration. Indonesia's foreign policy is guided by its historical role as a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, and successive Indonesian governments have bristled at the notion of aligning too closely wit the United States or others, including China. Indonesia is an active member in regional diplomatic institutions, and served as the 2022 chair of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations and the 2023 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Some 87% of Indonesians are Muslim, with the vast majority subscribing to moderate, syncretic forms of Sunni Islam. Religious diversity is enshrined in the constitution. Some observers, however, express concern about growing political influence of conservative religious groups. Non- Sunni Muslims and other religious minorities have been targets of violence, and some conservative groups have organized mass demonstrations against non-Muslim politicians. Indonesia also has a history of violent extremism: several bombings in Jakarta and tourist center Bali targeted Westerners in the 2000s, and smaller-scale attacks have occurred periodically. Indonesia is increasingly involved in rising South China Sea tensions. Although the two nations do not dispute sovereignty over any land features, China's extensive nine-dash line claims overlap with Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the coastal area over which a state has the right to regulate economic activity. Indonesian authorities periodically confront or warn off Chinese fishing and law-enforcement vessels seen as encroaching on Indonesian waters. In 2017, Indonesia elicited a formal diplomatic protest from Beijing by renaming waters off the Natuna Islands, north of Borneo, the North Natuna Sea. More recently, Chinese Coast Guard vessels reportedly have harassed Indonesian energy exploration vessels in the South China Sea more frequently, and have accompanied fleets of Chinese fishing vessels into Indonesia's EEZ. President Widodo, universally known by his nickname Jokowi, was reelected in 2019, winning 55% of the popular vote. He campaigned on promises to improve Indonesia's infrastructure and raise living standards, particularly in underdeveloped areas. One of his signature initiatives is a plan to move Indonesia's capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. Widodo has delivered on some of those promises, enacting several economic reform packages aimed at streamlining bureaucratic processes to boost foreign and domestic investment. However, poverty and uneven economic development remain major issues. Some observers have bristled at Widodo's willingness to bring authoritarian and conservative Islamist voices into his cabinet. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former Army Special Forces Commander, was implicated in a range of human rights violations in the 1990s. Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, a conservative Islamic leader, was chosen at least in part to quell persistent criticism from some Islamic groups that Widodo '5 government is not sufficiently conservative. In the upcoming Presidential polls, Prabowo, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan have declared their candidacy. Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka is running for Vice President as Prabowo's running mate.

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