Dear Derek Tonkin. You have spent years dominating English discussions of ethnicity in Rakhine. Although many can appreciate your keen archival research, your work shows absolutely no sensitivity towards the Rohingya, it is oblivious to the last 50 years of academic work on ethnicity, and fails to display basic political common sense. Its basic premise is still anchored in a colonial world view – that sorting out ethnic identities is an objective process that should be left to states, experts or ‘wise men’. You even go as far as stating what ethnic category Rohingya should have used (‘Arakan Muslims’).
You have frequently invoked the language of legality – illegality, which only reinforces the use of legal violence against Rohingya. You have consistently downplayed or been dismissive of allegations of persecution and avoided yourself publicly condoning the perpetrators of Rohingya persecution.
You have unduly focused attention on the messy, political construction of a single, particular ethnic category, while ignoring the fact that all ethnic categories (including your own) are the culmination of contested and geographically and politically complex state making processes. Unlike the vast majority of literature on ethnicity in colonial Burma (and elsewhere), you make the fundamental mistake of using state recognition of ethnic groups as evidence of whether they are genuine or not – rather than the inverse of trying to understand how state making processes led to the creation of new ethnic categories or the reification of older notions of identity. (see Harriden or Cheeseman on the Karen, Leach in has classic book on the Shan and Kachin, Taylor in his general discussion of ethnicity in the colonial period and of course Carlos Sardina Galache who has already debunked your ideas on NM as has Nay Say Lwin). Your voice has been dominant in the debate. Yet your stake in the issue seems to go little beyond your annoyance with the category Rohingya. Maybe it is time to stand down and give others a greater chance to speak up – especially the increasingly amount of Rohingya writers.
[…] Buehler mengungkapkan hal tersebut melalui artikelnya yang dipublikasikan di situs New Mandala, http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/, yang berjudul “Waiting in the White House lobby“, pada Jumat […]
[…] Buehler mengungkapkan hal tersebut melalui artikelnya yang dipublikasikan di situs New Mandala, http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/, yang berjudul “Waiting in the White House lobby“, pada Jumat […]
[…] Michael Buehler, dalam artikel “Waiting in the White House lobby” melalui situs http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au menginformasikan adanya agen lobi waktu Presiden jokowi bertemu Presiden AS Barrack […]
[…] African Studies, Michael Buehler, dalam artikel "Waiting in the White House lobby" melalui situs http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au menginformasikan adanya agen lobi saat Presiden Jokowi bertemu Presiden AS Barrack Obama. […]
Too much mockery instead of analysis in this article.
1. “In fact, Baumgartner emphasises her expertise in the field of “gaming law,” among others.”
=> Baumgartner expertise on gaming law is only mentioned in the last sentence of her bio. And as R&R is based in Vegas, its only natural that their work is related with gaming law.
2. “But Pereira has clear links with Luhut Panjaitan. He wrote several stories about the statesman ”
=> Has anyone read the linked article? Its not even about Luhut. Luhut name appeared only once in the article.
3. The website of Pereira International prominently features the same photograph of Luhut Panjaitan used on the website of Toba Sejahtra, a company active in the mining and plantation sector and owned by Luhut Panjaitan. This suggests that Pereira and Luhut Panjaitan know each other and have met previously.
=> Not sure why the author need to have this paragraph just to emphasis that Pereira and Luhut have met previously. The Pereira website also includes pictures of Mega, the Chinese Leaders etc. Does this would also means that Pereira has a close relations with them? What a hasty conclusion.
[…] menggunakan broker dengan bayaran puluhan ribu dolar AS. Kemlu menilai tuduhan yang diberitakan newmandala itu tidak berdasar dan sebagian mendekati ke arah […]
Thank you.
Indonesian people need further info and clarification on the allegations delineated in this report.
If it is true that $80000 was taken from Indonesian tax payer money, all deals with the US as the result from the meeting with the White House should be cancelled.
Press Release: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Led the Preparation of the President’s Visit to the US
Saturday, 07 November 2015 14:00
тАЛ1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the publication of an article entitled “Waiting in the White House lobby”. The issues raised are grossly inaccurate, baseless and some are bordering on fiction.
2. The visit of President Jokowi to the United States was upon the invitation of President Obama during their bilateral meeting on the sideline of the APEC 2014 Leaders Meeting in Beijing on 10 November 2014. This invitation was then followed up by a written invitation through diplomatic channel.
3. President Jokowi’s schedule and his attention with many urgent and important issues only allowed him to fulfill the invitation on 25-27 October 2015.
4. Just like other visits by the President, preparation for the US visit was led by the Minister for Foreign affairs, in coordination with other ministries, agencies, parliaments, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC, the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, the US Embassy in Jakarta as well as the business community and other stakeholders.
5. The preparation also included a number of ministerial level meetings and two way visits by ministers and senior officials from both countries, a number of business missions, and concluded with meeting between the Indonesian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of state in Washington DC on 21 September 2015. This highlights the importance of a successful Indonesia-US relations not merely reflects the interest of the government but for various stakeholders in the country as a whole.
6. This intensive preparation has enabled the signing of over 18 business deals worth over US$ 20 billion and a number of MoU between the US and Indonesia. It has also enhanced Indonesia and US partnership into a more strategic.
7. The Government of Indonesia did not employ the services of lobbyists for the preparation of the President’s visit to the US. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also never used the Ministry’s budget to employ lobbyist, although the Ministry understands that lobbyists are a real part of the US political life and are frequently employed by stakeholders as well as other governments around the world to advance their interests in the United States.
8. In reference to the baseless accusation of a rift between the Minister for Foreign Affairs with other Minister during the preparation of this visit, the Ministry regrets that a respectable academician could make such an inaccurate statement.
Jakarta, November 2015
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
The ANU has produced some of the world’s best scholars on Indonesia. Read the works of Marcus Mietzner and Harold Crouch, and you will know why. I am very surprised that the ANU is lowering its very high academic benchmarks to give the likes of Buehler a presence here
As Johnny-Come-Latelys to ceasefire capitalism the Karen leaders sadly have shown they aren’t immune to this new improved attractive brand of divide and rule whereas the Kachin have gone through that phase and hopefully learned their lessons.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Waiting in the White House lobby
points: 1,3,and 7 on page 3
clear clear evidence
Waiting in the White House lobby
This is a big emmbaracement pisan!
dasar jokowi goblog
jokowi is a wacky animal, liar, corruptor.
hayang utah ningali na gen
Private: Genocide and the vote
Dear Derek Tonkin. You have spent years dominating English discussions of ethnicity in Rakhine. Although many can appreciate your keen archival research, your work shows absolutely no sensitivity towards the Rohingya, it is oblivious to the last 50 years of academic work on ethnicity, and fails to display basic political common sense. Its basic premise is still anchored in a colonial world view – that sorting out ethnic identities is an objective process that should be left to states, experts or ‘wise men’. You even go as far as stating what ethnic category Rohingya should have used (‘Arakan Muslims’).
You have frequently invoked the language of legality – illegality, which only reinforces the use of legal violence against Rohingya. You have consistently downplayed or been dismissive of allegations of persecution and avoided yourself publicly condoning the perpetrators of Rohingya persecution.
You have unduly focused attention on the messy, political construction of a single, particular ethnic category, while ignoring the fact that all ethnic categories (including your own) are the culmination of contested and geographically and politically complex state making processes. Unlike the vast majority of literature on ethnicity in colonial Burma (and elsewhere), you make the fundamental mistake of using state recognition of ethnic groups as evidence of whether they are genuine or not – rather than the inverse of trying to understand how state making processes led to the creation of new ethnic categories or the reification of older notions of identity. (see Harriden or Cheeseman on the Karen, Leach in has classic book on the Shan and Kachin, Taylor in his general discussion of ethnicity in the colonial period and of course Carlos Sardina Galache who has already debunked your ideas on NM as has Nay Say Lwin). Your voice has been dominant in the debate. Yet your stake in the issue seems to go little beyond your annoyance with the category Rohingya. Maybe it is time to stand down and give others a greater chance to speak up – especially the increasingly amount of Rohingya writers.
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] seorang dosen politik Asia Tenggara dari School of Oriental and African Study yang menulis artikel Waiting in The White House Lobby, Jumat […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] Buehler mengungkapkan hal tersebut melalui artikelnya yang dipublikasikan di situs New Mandala, http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/, yang berjudul “Waiting in the White House lobby“, pada Jumat […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
Luhut denies PR involvement as reported by http://m.tempo.co/read/news/2015/11/07/078716792/menteri-luhut-bantah-pertemuan-jokowi-obama-hasil-lobi-perusahaan-pr
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] Buehler mengungkapkan hal tersebut melalui artikelnya yang dipublikasikan di situs New Mandala, http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/, yang berjudul “Waiting in the White House lobby“, pada Jumat […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
Metro TV in RI running the story tonight
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] Michael Buehler, dalam artikel “Waiting in the White House lobby” melalui situs http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au menginformasikan adanya agen lobi waktu Presiden jokowi bertemu Presiden AS Barrack […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] African Studies, Michael Buehler, dalam artikel "Waiting in the White House lobby" melalui situs http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au menginformasikan adanya agen lobi saat Presiden Jokowi bertemu Presiden AS Barrack Obama. […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
So, what this opinion trying to say is: If you want to meet president of the United states you can get entry ticket for only $80,000,-
Wow that’s really cheap! Would like to buy 1.
Waiting in the White House lobby
Too much mockery instead of analysis in this article.
1. “In fact, Baumgartner emphasises her expertise in the field of “gaming law,” among others.”
=> Baumgartner expertise on gaming law is only mentioned in the last sentence of her bio. And as R&R is based in Vegas, its only natural that their work is related with gaming law.
2. “But Pereira has clear links with Luhut Panjaitan. He wrote several stories about the statesman ”
=> Has anyone read the linked article? Its not even about Luhut. Luhut name appeared only once in the article.
3. The website of Pereira International prominently features the same photograph of Luhut Panjaitan used on the website of Toba Sejahtra, a company active in the mining and plantation sector and owned by Luhut Panjaitan. This suggests that Pereira and Luhut Panjaitan know each other and have met previously.
=> Not sure why the author need to have this paragraph just to emphasis that Pereira and Luhut have met previously. The Pereira website also includes pictures of Mega, the Chinese Leaders etc. Does this would also means that Pereira has a close relations with them? What a hasty conclusion.
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] menggunakan broker dengan bayaran puluhan ribu dolar AS. Kemlu menilai tuduhan yang diberitakan newmandala itu tidak berdasar dan sebagian mendekati ke arah […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
[…] dilansir New Mandala, Jumat, (6/11) dan diberitakan Republika, Presiden Jokowi akhirnya bisa bertemu dengan Presiden […]
Waiting in the White House lobby
Thank you.
Indonesian people need further info and clarification on the allegations delineated in this report.
If it is true that $80000 was taken from Indonesian tax payer money, all deals with the US as the result from the meeting with the White House should be cancelled.
Waiting in the White House lobby
Press Release: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Led the Preparation of the President’s Visit to the US
Saturday, 07 November 2015 14:00
тАЛ1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the publication of an article entitled “Waiting in the White House lobby”. The issues raised are grossly inaccurate, baseless and some are bordering on fiction.
2. The visit of President Jokowi to the United States was upon the invitation of President Obama during their bilateral meeting on the sideline of the APEC 2014 Leaders Meeting in Beijing on 10 November 2014. This invitation was then followed up by a written invitation through diplomatic channel.
3. President Jokowi’s schedule and his attention with many urgent and important issues only allowed him to fulfill the invitation on 25-27 October 2015.
4. Just like other visits by the President, preparation for the US visit was led by the Minister for Foreign affairs, in coordination with other ministries, agencies, parliaments, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC, the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, the US Embassy in Jakarta as well as the business community and other stakeholders.
5. The preparation also included a number of ministerial level meetings and two way visits by ministers and senior officials from both countries, a number of business missions, and concluded with meeting between the Indonesian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of state in Washington DC on 21 September 2015. This highlights the importance of a successful Indonesia-US relations not merely reflects the interest of the government but for various stakeholders in the country as a whole.
6. This intensive preparation has enabled the signing of over 18 business deals worth over US$ 20 billion and a number of MoU between the US and Indonesia. It has also enhanced Indonesia and US partnership into a more strategic.
7. The Government of Indonesia did not employ the services of lobbyists for the preparation of the President’s visit to the US. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also never used the Ministry’s budget to employ lobbyist, although the Ministry understands that lobbyists are a real part of the US political life and are frequently employed by stakeholders as well as other governments around the world to advance their interests in the United States.
8. In reference to the baseless accusation of a rift between the Minister for Foreign Affairs with other Minister during the preparation of this visit, the Ministry regrets that a respectable academician could make such an inaccurate statement.
Jakarta, November 2015
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
Waiting in the White House lobby
The ANU has produced some of the world’s best scholars on Indonesia. Read the works of Marcus Mietzner and Harold Crouch, and you will know why. I am very surprised that the ANU is lowering its very high academic benchmarks to give the likes of Buehler a presence here
A press conference and the vote
We won’t be changed overnight if NLD wins but we believe we are breaking away from ruthless junta dictatorship immediately.
Waiting in the White House lobby
English please!! Atuhlah.
Karen parties and the vote
As Johnny-Come-Latelys to ceasefire capitalism the Karen leaders sadly have shown they aren’t immune to this new improved attractive brand of divide and rule whereas the Kachin have gone through that phase and hopefully learned their lessons.