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1 1 (June 6, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govzzu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: d Congressional Research Service ~Inf o rmg the legislative debate snce 1914 Indonesia Updated June 6, 2019 Overview With 263 million citizens, Indonesia is the most populous 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 16th-largest economy and the 8th-largest when ranked by purchasing power parity. It straddles important 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. Indonesia is an active member in regional diplomatic institutions and a leader of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 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 initiatives. Some Indonesian trade and economic regulations are of concern to the United States. Indonesian leaders speak about the nation's central place in the Indo-Pacific region-an important strategic concept for the Trump Administration. Some 87% of Indonesians are Muslim, with the vast majority subscribing to moderate, syncretic forms of the religion. Religious diversity is enshrined in the constitution. Some observers, however, express concern about growing political influence of conservative religious groups who have organized mass demonstrations against non-Muslim politicians. Indonesia also has a recent history of violent extremism: several bombings in Jakarta and tourist center Bali targeted Westerners in the 2000s, and the persistence of smaller-scale attacks raises concerns about the dangers posed by Indonesians returning from the Middle East. Political Background President Widodo, universally known by his nickname Jokowi, was reelected in April 2019 elections, winning 55% of the popular vote. He campaigned on promises to improve Indonesia's infrastructure and raise living standards, particularly in underdeveloped areas. As of early June, Widodo's opponent Prabowo Subianto had yet to concede the elections, and demonstrations that followed the May 21 results announcement-spurred by Prabowo's largely unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud-led to six deaths in Jakarta. Widodo chose Ma'ruf Amin, a conservative Islamic leader, as his Vice President, at least in part to quell criticism from some Islamic groups that his government is not sufficiently conservative. Such criticism has been a thorn in Widodo's side throughout his presidency, particularly in 2016-2017, when Basuki Tjahaja Purmama, a political ally who is an ethnically Chinese Christian, was charged and convicted of blasphemy for a comment he allegedly made about the Koran at a campaign rally. Widodo has struggled with a shifting political coalition, as rivalries between parties, and even within Widodo's PDI-P party, have complicated governance. The 2019 parliamentary elections made it likely that he can hold together his legislative coalition, although Prabowo's Gerindra party emerged as a stronger force in the political opposition. Widodo's government has enacted several economic reform packages aimed at streamlining bureaucratic processes to boost foreign and domestic investment. U S 6 Engagement with Indonesia The United States engages Indonesia across a wide range of issues, encouraging Indonesians to deepen their democratic institutions, promote religious tolerance and the rule of law, develop a more liberal trade and investment climate, combat terrorism and engage on international issues such as maritime security and climate change. In October 2015, the United States and Indonesia upgraded their bilateral Comprehensive Partnership to a Strategic Partnership, with a minister-level dialogue intended to address maritime cooperation, defense cooperation, economic growth and development, energy cooperation, cooperation on global and regional issues, and people-to-people ties. In January 2018, on a visit to Jakarta, then-Defense Secretary James https://crsreports cor

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