Plausible Deniability

Megawati Sukarnoputri is in a bind. She promised George W. Bush her country's full support in the war on terrorism; on her visit to Washington on Sept. 19, she said, "Indonesia is always against violence. Terrorism is an act of violence so we will definitely fight terrorism." But back home, the fear of a backlash from Indonesian Islamic groups has her government whipsawing in its treatment of terror suspects. Megawati's dilemma may explain why, despite the testimony of its own intelligence, the government couldn't even bring itself to admit the existence of an al-Qaeda terrorist camp in Sulawesi, and still allows...