THE THRIVING BUSH YEARS:

Clinton Arrives in a Surprisingly Strong Indonesia: When the Secretary of State makes her stop in Jakarta on Feb. 18-19, she will see a country that has made big economic and political strides (Frederik Balfour, 2/18/09, Business Week)

A decade ago Indonesia was the sick man of Asia, its banks mired in bad debts, its foreign exchange reserves depleted, and its economy crippled by Asia's 1997-98 financial crisis. Many parts of the sprawling archipelago were convulsed by bloody separatist conflicts, while Jakarta struggled to overcome the legacy of strongman Suharto's 32-year rule that ended in 1998. But when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes her stop in Jakarta on Feb. 18 and 19, she will be visiting a country that boasts the region's most successful economic and political transformations.