Indonesia: Yudhoyono's Secure Lead

Indonesian opposition candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is well on his way to a victory over incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri in the Sept. 20 runoff presidential election. Regional neighbors interested in a more stable Indonesia that offers a more aggressive counterterrorism plan will welcome a Yudhoyono victory. Although the ideal is an Indonesia that more closely resembles neighboring Malaysia and Singapore — secure but not entirely authoritarian — miscalculations could easily put Jakarta back on a path to the Indonesia of the Suharto era — secure but a long way from democratic.