Indonesia would seem to be a natural partner for the United States. It is the most populous country in Southeast Asia, a vibrant democracy, a leader of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a member of the Group of Twenty. But as Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia Joshua Kurlantzick asserts in this new Council Special Report, the relationship between the United States and Indonesia "has long under-performed its potential." Kurlantzick argues that Indonesia could be more of a security partner for the United States and proposes to increase the scope of cooperation in three areas in which the countries have shared interests. First, the United States and Indonesia should work together to check China's growin assertiveness in the South China Sea. Second, the two countries should jointly combat the expansion into Southeast Asia of militants linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State. And finally, the two countries should cooperate to counter piracy and other transnational crime in Southeast Asia--foreword.