Strategic Paradigms by Ehsan Ahrari

As extremist forces are intensifying their endeavors to make Pakistan an obscurantist Muslim country, the example of Indonesia is both inspiring and heartening.  The country is well on its way to democracy, something that is quite rare in the world of Islam.  To be sure, Indonesia has problems of its own.  Extemist forces have shown their ugly faces in the past and terrorist attacks have taken place.  Even today, when democracy is thriving in Indonesia, the global economic crisis gives one great concern that Indonesia might suffer from its deleterious spillover effect.  However, considering the significance of Indonesia as the largest Muslim country, in all likelihood, forces of regional stability and global order are likely to come to its rescue.  In the meantime, one has to watch with rapt attention that there is no resurgence of religious extremism, since the forces of extremism are weak, but are  very much on the mend.   Kishore Mahbubani’s essay makes the case for optimism for Indonesia quite eloquently:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/19/indonesia.terrorism/print