Greg Sheridan – The Bush Administration was shocked at the extent of al-Qa'ida's penetration of southeast Asia, says US Deputy Defence Secretary and former ambassador to Indonesia Paul Wolfowitz.
Wolfowitz's view flatly rejects the claims of some commentators that regional governments have exaggerated the terrorist network's links for domestic political purposes.
"Throughout southeast Asia, governments were surprised at the extent of al-Qa'ida penetration," Wolfowitz said in an exclusive interview with The Australian.
"So were we, but we were also surprised at the extent of al-Qa'ida in the US and in Germany and France and other places.
"In Indonesia and Malaysia you have majority Muslim populations, and you have the challenge of distinguishing between genuine extremists and people who just oppose the administration. I feel some real progress has been made."
Overall, he is remarkably upbeat about Indonesia. "Indonesia has been struggling with very big problems since the economic typhoon in 1997," Wolfowitz said.
"It's been going through an incredible transformation. The fact it's functioning as well as it is is a tribute to the commonsense of the Indonesian people."
Wolfowitz is a strong supporter of resuming military links between the US and Jakarta, but stresses it should be a careful process and should not come at the expense of US human rights concerns.
"We are concerned about what seems to be the turning of a blind eye to some of the people who were indicted over East Timor," he said.
Asked whether the deaths of US citizens, among others, in the recent ambush in Papua should cause a renewed pause in resuming contacts with the Indonesian military, he replied: "There are some question marks about that event, and until we know more about it I don't think it's sensible to draw any conclusions."
Notably, this is a long way from accepting the assertion by the Indonesian military that the killings were the work of Papuan separatists.
Wolfowitz, one of the most influential figures in the administration of US President George W. Bush, is an unapologetic member of the group of analysts who believe the terrorist attacks of September 11 profoundly changed the international strategic environment. "I think it has enormous consequences and I think we still haven't thought it through completely," he said.
"I hope and pray we will be able to think it through without having to go through any more horrible events. What we do know is what the consequences [of nuclear terrorism] would be. What we don't know is exactly how imminent the threat is.
"People are concerned about the civil liberties questions raised now. Just imagine the civil liberties questions that would be raised if a nuclear bomb went off in Perth or New York."
Wolfowitz accepts that real differences have emerged between the US and its traditional allies in western Europe, but believes much of the commentary is overblown.
Nonetheless, he insists the Bush administration takes the trans-Atlantic relationships, the UN "and the international community very seriously".
[Greg Sheridan is The Australian's foreign editor]