◾U.S.-Indonesia relations are not meeting their potential. Bilateral economic interaction is limited compared to the size of our economies, and official interaction is often bureaucratic and rarely strategic. The Jokowi administration’s relative disinterest in playing a leading role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the broader Indo-Pacific region coupled with the Trump administration’s general approach to the region have dampened enthusiasm for investing in the relationship.

◾The United States and Indonesia have the opportunity to deepen security ties through collaborating on multilateral common security efforts in Southeast Asia. Recent regional cooperation efforts are seen as a positive development in enhancing practical cooperation among Southeast Asian countries, and can provide leverage for the United States to build deeper security ties with Indonesia.

◾Efforts to deepen cooperation between the U.S. and Indonesian economies will need to account for domestic opposition toward liberalization, and must strive to make a compelling case for the mutual benefits of free trade.

◾Safeguarding the fairness, freedom, and transparency of democracy and the electoral process in Indonesia should be of paramount interest to the United States, particularly in light of upcoming Indonesian presidential elections in April 2019.