Soon, I realized that the event was not intended for Americans. It was to impress people from here in Jakarta: Invited Indonesians and Indonesians who read the news from the invited press. It was a showcase of American “soft power”, a term popularized by Joseph Nye, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

On Thursday and Friday, Indonesia will host the fifth Bali Democracy Forum. This year’s BDF will focus on the contribution of democratic global governance to international peace and security, the enjoyment of human rights and economic development.

The paradox of Indonesia’s foreign policy is that since independence, it has placed primacy on the country’s political standing while marginalizing its economic interests. This is paradoxical because most nations start with the construction of economic power as the basis for political bargaining in the world arena.

World leaders, ministers and high-level officials from 54 countries across the Asia-Pacific region will participate in the fifth Bali Democracy Forum (BDF). The Foreign Ministry’s director general for information and public diplomacy, Abdurrahman M. Fachir, said that the BDF would seek to discuss approaches to integrating democratic principles into global governance, especially in managing collective efforts to promote peace, security, economic development and the enjoyment of human rights.

World leaders, ministers and high-level officials from 54 countries across the Asia-Pacific region will participate in the fifth Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) to discuss aspects to better promote democratic principles and values on Nov. 8-9 in Nusa Dua, Bali.

Denpasar. Indonesia must make the most of a key opportunity to showcase its cultural wealth on the global stage when it hosts the inaugural World Culture for Development Forum in Bali next year, a senior official said on Saturday.

Morocco and Indonesia have enjoyed cordial relations for more than five decades. There is no need for a visa if an Indonesian citizen wants to visit the North African nation. Yet a lack of awareness about the economic potential of both countries remained a hurdle in boosting bilateral ties, Morocco’s man in Jakarta has said.

The U.S. Department of State announced that Indonesian performance artists Nan Jombang will travel to communities across America as part of a groundbreaking cultural diplomacy initiative, Center StageSM, from September 21-October 14, 2012.