A minister calls Indonesia a possible US 'target'

A senior Indonesian minister has said something striking about the United States, long seen mainly as a partner: that Indonesia could become Washington's next "target." In May 2026, Coordinating Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra warned that resource-rich Indonesia might follow Venezuela and Greenland in drawing unwanted US attention, and he admitted the Indonesian military could "only last four days" against US forces based on Guam. Writing for the East Asia Forum, analyst Aristyo Rizka Darmawan says this reflects a wider mood across Southeast Asia: growing distrust of the United States.

The numbers back him up. In a 2026 survey by the ISEAS institute in Singapore, 51.9 percent of respondents named US leadership under Trump as their top worry. In response, countries in the region are "hedging," which means avoiding a firm bet on any one big power and keeping their options open. Indonesia signed a common-security treaty with Australia in February 2026 and is buying weapons from a wider mix of suppliers, including France, Turkey, and South Korea, rather than leaning on Washington alone.

The hard part is that Indonesia is squeezed from two sides. The United States wants access to bases in the region, while China pushes back on Indonesian energy work in the North Natuna Sea. Staying friendly with both, without being pulled fully into either camp, is the balancing act the article describes.

Why it matters

For Indonesians, this marks a shift in how the country sees an old partner, and it shapes where the government builds alliances and spends money. Weaker trust in Washington can mean more defence spending and closer ties with middle powers like Australia, France, and Turkey. If you follow the economy, watch this too: big-power tension can affect trade, investment, and the safety of the shipping lanes Indonesia depends on.