New Leadership in Indonesia and Singapure Essays -- International Gove

The emerging globalized world brings with it new global threats. Various forms of advancement have made the threat of terrorism a global threat. As a result, leaders of democratic states have been forced to work together to contain such threats. This paper examines the extent to which the Indonesian leadership transition from 2004 to 2009 affected security policy relations with Singapore. First, this paper takes a brief look at the new leadership transition of Indonesia and Singapore in 2004. Second, this paper examines whether the new leadership was able to strengthened regional security through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). New Leadership in Southeast Asia The year 2004 was of significant change not only for Indonesia, but also for Singapore. Both, Indonesia and Singapore, went trough a leadership change in 2004, which allowed them to realign their relationship and interest in the region. On August 12, Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as Singapore’s third prime minister since independence. Lee Hsien Loong preceded Goh Chok Tong’s 14-year leadership. Lee had long been expected to have some sort of leadership because his father, Lee Kuan Yew, was Singapore’s first prime minister. More notably on October 20, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was sworn in as Indonesia’s sixth president since independence. Mr. Yudhoyono was the fourth president in six years, but was the first directly elected president since the fall of President Suharto in 1998. The leadership transition of 2004 is crucial to understanding foreign relations between Indonesia and SIngapore because it laid the platform from which they could renew, strengthen, and expand their regional ideals. In the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapo... ...nd Southeast Asia: Australia, the U.S., and ASEAN’s Counter-Terror Strategy.† Asian Survey 48, no. 4 (July/August 2008): 626-649. Chow, Jonathan T. â€Å"ASEAN Counterterrorism Cooperation since 9/11.† Asian Survey 45, no. 2 (March/April 2005): 302-321. Febrica, Senia. â€Å"Securitizing Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Accounting for the Varying Responses of Singapore and Indonesia.† Asian Survey 50, no. 3 (May/June 2010): 569-590. Kassim, Yang Razali. Transition Politics in Southeast Asia: Dynamics of Leadership Change and Succession in Indonesia and Malaysia. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2005. Lee, Kuan Yew. â€Å"The United States, Iraq, and the War on Terror: A Singaporean Perspective.† Foreign Affairs 86, no. 1 (January/February 2007): 2-7. Narine, Shaun. â€Å"ASEAN and the Management of Regional Security.† Pacific Affairs 71, no. 2 (Summer, 1998): 195-214.