Strangers Next Door?

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.

1. Strangers Next Door?
Tim Lindsey and Dave McRae
2. A Rising Regional Neighbour of Increasing Importance
Richard Woolcott
3. Perceptions and the Capacity to Persuade
John McCarthy
4. President Joko Widodo's Foreign Policy: Implications for Indonesia-Australia Relations
Evi Fitriani
5. Ignorant and Ill-disposed?: Opinion Polling and Attitudes to the other between Australia and Indonesia
Dave McRae and Diane Zhang
6. Through a Glass, Darkly: Bali, Bad News and Australia-Indonesia Relations
Tim Lindsey
7. Prospects for the Australia-Indonesia Defence Relationship
Peter Jennings
8. Big Fears about Small Boats: How Asylum Seekers Keep Upsetting the Indonesia-Australia Relationship
Antje Missbach
9. Islam in Australia-Indonesia Relations: Fear, Stereotypes and Opportunity
Greg Fealy
10. Indonesia, Australia and ASEAN
Catherine Renshaw
11. On the Periphery: Human Rights, Australia and Indonesia
Ken Setiawan
12. A Common Enemy: Police Cooperation between Australia and Indonesia
Michael McKenzie
13. Successful Justice Sector Collaboration: A Prerequisite for a Healthy Australia-Indonesia Relationship
Denny Indrayana
14. Papua as a Multilateral Issue for Indonesia and Australia
Richard Chauvel
15. Indonesia and Australia: Ties that Rarely Bind
Endy M Bayuni
16. Our Man in Indonesia
Michael Bachelard
17. Beyond Cultural Diplomacy: The Artistic Nuance in Australia-Indonesia Relations
Joseph Mitchell and Lydia Teychenné
18. Inside Indonesia: Taking on Australia's Disinterest, Ignorance and Isolationism
Jemma Purdey
19. Friendship, Partnership, Action: Women and the Bilateral Relationship
Virginia Hooker
20. Language, Learning, and Living Together: Education as a Bilateral Barometer
David T Hill
21. Enhancing the Bond: Narratives of Indonesian Academics from Two Continents
Muhammad Najib Azca, Atin Prabandari and Priyambudi Sulistiyanto
22. The Unexamined Gift: Australia's Aid Relationship with Indonesia
Robin Davies
23. Economic Policy in the Australia-Indonesia Relationship: Unbound Potential, Everlasting Anticlimax
Matthew Busch
24. A Business Perspective
Debnath Guharoy
25. Young and Connected: How Youth Programs and Organisations Build Links between Australia and Indonesia
Rachelle Cole and Arjuna Dibley

“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.” –  Duncan Graham, The Jakarta Post

“... a great richness of approaches and experiences, especially where so many of the authors have extensive on-the-ground experience of their respective topics.” –  Richard Robison, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Journal of Contemporary Asia

“This book soberly makes the case for closer Indonesia–Australia ties, and offers constructive ideas for how they might be achieved.” –  David Fettling, Australian Book Review

“Strangers Next Door? is an indispensable contribution to the study of Indonesia-Australia relations and Asian studies in general.” –  Evan Laksmana, 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.” –  Ross Tapsell, Australian National University, Asian Studies Review

“[T]his is a highly competent and lucid addition to the field, one that sets a new benchmark.” –  David Reeve, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 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.” –  Sian Troath, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, Pacific Affairs