Indonesians See Hope in Obama’s Win

I spent the weeks leading up to the US election traveling through the country and speaking with Indonesians from all walks of life – taxi drivers, religious leaders, counter-terrorism experts, sidewalk vendors, Muslims, Catholics, moderates and fundamentalists, men and women, old and young. Their voices were at times tentative, inquisitive, strident and curious. But all of them, in this country of 235 million that makes up the most populous Muslim country in the world, expressed a belief that Tuesday’s outcome, more than any other US presidential election in recent memory, would have a broad impact on their own daily lives.  

Read the full post of my experience before, during and after the election as I traveled through West and Central Java.

Nine-year-old Barack Obama, seated at far right, during his stay in Jakarta. His Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, sits at the far left.