Vickie Walton-James's Blogs
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Indonesia’s President: Democratic Reform Is ‘Painful’
With President Obama laying out his vision for U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa today, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has a word of advice for emerging democracies: Reform your military first. Yudhoyono, widely known here as SBY, was first elected in 2004 and is now in his second term as leader of Indonesia. The archipelago is the world's third largest democracy after India and the United States. And it has the biggest Muslim population of any country. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivers remarks during the opening ceremony of the 15th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) finance ministers' meeting on April 8, 2011.Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka / AFP / Getty Images\"Our reform is actually painful,\" Yudhoyono said. So, he added, Indonesia is in no position to \"lecture\" Egypt. But, speaking from experience, the retired Army general advises that the first order of...
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