Us Relations with Indonesia

During a visit to the United States (US) in September, 2001, Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first President, Sukarno, stated that Indonesia and the US shared a common dream. As she eloquently stated, "I am talking about the dream of creating a great nation where all men and women are treated equally, where people of all races, ethnicities and religions live side by side in peace and prosperity as one. America's founding fathers dreamt this, and ours did too. That dream remains dear in my heart and in the hearts of millions of Indonesians." In all likelihood, President Megawati's father envisioned something similar 66 years earlier as he read the Indonesian Declaration of Independence before a relatively small group outside his home on 17 Aug 1945.