Strangers Next Door?: Indonesia and Australia in the Asian Century

by Tim Lindsey, Dave McRae

Overview

There are no two neighbouring countries anywhere in the world that are more different than Indonesia and Australia. They differ hugely in religion, language, culture, history, geography, race, economics, worldview and population (Indonesia, 270 million, Australia less than 10 per cent of that). In fact, Indonesia and Australia have almost nothing in common other than the accident of geographic proximity. This makes their relationship turbulent, volatile and often unpredictable.

Strangers Next Door? brings together insiders and leading observers to critically assess the state of Australia-Indonesia relations and their future prospects, offering insights into why the relationship is so important for Australia, why it is so often in crisis, and what this means for the future. This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the Indo-Pacific region, Southeast Asia, Australia and Indonesia, and each country's politics, economy and foreign policy. It contains chapters that will interest specialists but are written in a style accessible to a general audience. The book spans a diverse range of subjects, including political relations and diplomacy, security and defence, the economy and trade, Islam, education, development, the arts, legal cooperation, the media, women, and community ties. Contributors assess the current state of relations in their sphere of expertise, and outline the factors and policies that could shape bilateral ties - and Indonesia's future - over the coming decades. University of Melbourne scholars Tim Lindsey and Dave McRae, both prominent observers and commentators on Indonesia and its relations with Australia, edited the volume, providing a synthesising overview as well as their own thematic chapters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509939640
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/25/2020
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.15(d)

About the Author

Tim Lindsey is Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne.

Dave McRae is Senior Lecturer at the Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne; and an Associate of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at Melbourne Law School.

Table of Contents

Preface v

Notes on Contributors xi

1 Strangers Next Door? Tim Lindsey Dave McRae 1

2 A Rising Regional Neighbour of Increasing Importance Richard Woolcott 11

3 Perceptions and the Capacity to Persuade John McCarthy 19

4 President Joko Widodo's Foreign Policy: Implications for Indonesia-Australia Relations Evi Fitriani 31

5 Ignorant and Ill-disposed?: Opinion Polling and Attitudes to the other between Australia and Indonesia Dave McRae Diane Zhang 55

6 Through a Glass, Darkly: Bali, Bad News and Australia-Indonesia Relations Tim Lindsey 81

7 Prospects for the Australia-Indonesia Defence Relationship Peter Jennings 107

8 Big Fears about Small Boats: How Asylum Seekers Keep Upsetting the Indonesia-Australia Relationship Antje Missbach 125

9 Islam in Australia-Indonesia Relations: Fear, Stereotypes and Opportunity Greg Fealy 149

10 Indonesia, Australia and ASEAN Catherine Renshaw 169

11 On the Periphery: Human Rights, Australia and Indonesia Ken Setiawan 193

12 A Common Enemy: Police Cooperation between Australia and Indonesia Michael McKenzie 211

13 Successful Justice Sector Collaboration: A Prerequisite for a Healthy Australia-Indonesia Relationship Denny Indrayana 235

14 Papua as a Multilateral Issue for Indonesia and Australia Richard Chauvel 259

15 Indonesia and Australia: Ties that Rarely Bind Endy M Bayuni 287

16 Our Man in Indonesia Michael Bachelard 305

17 Beyond Cultural Diplomacy: The Artistic Nuance in Australia-Indonesia Relations Joseph Mitchell Lydia Teychenné 323

18 Inside Indonesia: Taking on Australia's Disinterest, Ignorance and Isolationism Jemma Purdey 345

19 Friendship, Partnership, Action: Women and the Bilateral Relationship Virginia Hooker 369

20 Language, Learning, and Living Together: Education as a Bilateral Barometer David T Hill 409

21 Enhancing the Bond: Narratives of Indonesian Academics from Two Continents Muhammad Najib Azca Atin Prabandari Priyambudi Sulistiyanto 433

22 The Unexamined Gift: Australia's Aid Relationship with Indonesia Robin Davies 443

23 Economic Policy in the Australia-Indonesia Relationship: Unbound Potential, Everlasting Anticlimax Matthew Busch 471

24 A Business Perspective Debnath Guharoy 499

25 Young and Connected: How Youth Programs and Organisations Build Links between Australia and Indonesia Rachelle Cole Arjuna Dibley 511

Terminology 533

Glossary, Acronyms and Abbreviations 535

Index 541

Editorial Reviews

"Relationships just bob around, almost directionless. The ocean is currently calm. That's temporary. More understanding, port and starboard, is needed to weather the inevitable storms. This book provides some ballast." --The Jakarta Post

"This book soberly makes the case for closer Indonesia-Australia ties, and offers constructive ideas for how they might be achieved." --Australian Book Review

"... a great richness of approaches and experiences, especially where so many of the authors have extensive on-the-ground experience of their respective topics." --Journal of Contemporary Asia

"Strangers Next Door? is an indispensable contribution to the study of Indonesia-Australia relations and Asian studies in general." --Contemporary Southeast Asia

"Strangers Next Door? Indonesia and Australia in the Asian Century is the most comprehensive scholarly analysis of the Australia-Indonesia relationship this century... This book will be required reading for any diplomat, journalist, academic, student or interested reader of the Australia-Indonesia relationship. Prominent scholars and well-known commentators on the relationship over the past four decades provide meaningful contributions in their respective fields. As such, this a formidable anthology that will be widely cited." --Asian Studies Review

"[T]his is a highly competent and lucid addition to the field, one that sets a new benchmark." --South East Asia Research

"[A]n invaluable contribution to the literature on the relationship between Indonesia and Australia. Its breadth makes it a book for all audiences, with every reader interested in the relationship able to gain new insights from its pages." --Pacific Affairs

From the Publisher