One of America’s closest allies and its northern neighbor (the world’s most populous Muslim country) are currently in negotiations over a proposed treaty and a range of troubling issues from terrorism and human rights to economic growth, oil resources, immigration, and nuclear programs.

Unfortunately, for many in America’s political class, the Australia-Indonesia relationship barely comes to mind when they consider key issues in the post-9/11 world. It should. According to Duncan Graham’s disturbing account in the Asia Times:

Two years ago, current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono proposed a new strategic treaty seeking to formalize and expand Australian aid to Indonesia’s security forces. It also sought a clear concrete statement by Australia that it would respect Indonesian sovereignty over its vast archipelago.
Indonesians remain deeply suspicious of Australia’s ambitions in Southeast Asia, particularly since under Prime Minister John Howard it has taken on the self-appointed role of “deputy sheriff” to the United States for overseeing security affairs in the region. Bellicose comments that Howard made in the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 88 Australian citizens that his country would consider preemptive strikes on sovereign Southeast Asian countries to avert another terrorist attack went down badly across the entire region.
Yudhoyono – who enjoys strong personal relations with Howard, frequently visits Australia and currently has a son in university at Perth – hopes that a bilateral strategic pact will alleviate popular apprehensions about Australia’s perceived expansionist designs, particularly in far-flung areas rich in natural resources and fossil-fuel deposits.
For Howard, on the other hand, a treaty will ensure Indonesia’s now-limp cooperation in cracking downing on political-asylum seekers who in growing numbers are transiting through the archipelago en route to Australia. He also hopes a pact will strengthen the two sides’ joint anti-terrorism operations.