Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/13/top-us-diplomat-blinken-begins-southeast-asia-tour-in-indonesia
Following growing tensions with China, Anthony Blinkens, the US Secretary of State, made a noticeable commitment to Indonesia in a speech he gave when touring the country when referring to their relationship as a “strategic partnership”. This comes as the US is trying to forge relationships in the Indo-pacific. Blinken is set to tour the Indo-pacific region soon, planning to make stops in Malaysia and Thailand during said tour. These countries are said to be good at keeping balance between the US and China. All of this comes just under a week after the US, Canada, and Australia announced that they were boycotting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to the growing concern about China’s human rights abuses and genocide.
I feel Indonesia is trying to make an alliance with the US in order to protect themselves from China. With the US and China not getting along the best currently, Indonesia is kind of stuck in the middle. With China trying to take over that region Indonesia is trying to get the US to help them prevent that. At the same time Indonesia is neighbors with China and doesn’t want to make them mad in fear of retaliation. There is also the international trade route near this region that China is trying to claim as their own, so Indonesia may also be using this alliance with the US to try and block China from claiming that waterway.
This article relates back to the discussion we had in class about alliances. Alliances are based on what is best for them at the time the alliance is made. The US is currently trying to forge an alliance with Indonesia due to all of the growing tension with China. Indonesia and the surrounding countries are good at providing a balance between the US and China. This current alliance will be mutually beneficial to both countries involved in two completely different ways. Although, once the alliance is no longer mutually beneficial, more than likely the country that no longer benefits from it will pull out.