Indonesia/ No thanks

baldilocks: "Go to Hell With Your Aid!" She says, among other things:



Over the last 40 years the Indonesians have used both Russian and American war materiel; the Air Force currently is flying US-made Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft from the 1960s, which are overdue for replacement. The Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs from the 1970s are looking pretty long in the tooth, too; and even the newer F-16s have issues with spare parts. While most of its major weapons systems are US-made, Indonesia is under a US embargo, thanks to US disapproval of Indonesian suppression of East Timorese separatists. Even if the embargo was lifted, any arms supplied by the US would probably have strings attached limiting their utility against other separatist movements --which is the primary reason the Indonesians, beset by several such movements, want modern weapons. One Indonesian politician's response to the US embargo, in mid-December before the tidal wave brought American aid en masse, was succinct: "Go to Hell with your aid!" [bold mine]