"I have to face many fundamental issues"

"This is my first day in this office," says Indonesia's newly installed president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as he surveys a desk top unsullied by a single sheet of paper. The 55-year-old will likely soon find himself thinking wistfully back to a time when his desk was bare. There can't be many other jobs in the world that present a new leader with such a complex array of challenges as trying to govern the 17,500 islands strung along the equator that make up the world's fourth most populous country. Still, in his first interview since being sworn in as the country's sixth...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!