Indonesia was one of their best examples of how this relationship was encouraging a more civilized military. And no military in recent history has behaved in more brutal and less civilized fashion. California Democrat Nancy Pelosi led Tuesday's effort to make sure that if the Pentagon ever renews ties with Jakarta, the classes are limited to lectures on human rights and similar topics. The vote instructs House members serving on a committee resolving legislative differences between House and Senate versions of bills funding foreign military training to resist Senate efforts to lessen restrictions on training for Indonesia. But Pentagon spokesman Craig Quigley says the program might have more influence in Indonesia if there were fewer Congressional restrictions.
Human beings react well to faces that they have seen before.
People with whom they have had a conversation before. The old cliche about an emergency or a crisis is not the best time to place the first phone call to a person with whom you've never had any relationship is absolutely true. The top U-S General, Hugh Shelton, called Indonesia's top officer, General Wiranto several times by phone in the past week, warning him Jakarta would have to restore order or lose international military and economic aid. General Wiranto eventually agreed to allow an international peacekeeping force to enter the troubled territory of East Timor. Pentagon officials say the Timor crisis shows the success of the U-S Military's outreach efforts, not their failure.