Kuala Lampur, April 19 -- The recent remarks by Colonel Arm Oke Kistiyanto of Indonesia's armed forces on the risks of granting overflight access to a major power - implicitly the United States - have generated understandable debate. 

His caution that "airspace is a core domain of state sovereignty" and that such access may entail "entrapment risk" reflects a long-standing sensitivity within Indonesia's strategic culture. 

Yet, while analytically grounded, the tone and interpretation of these concerns risk veering into unnecessary alarmis.

Indonesia's doctrine of bebas dan aktif - free and active foreign policy - has always been premised on autonomy without isolation. In this regard, overflight permissions are neither novel n...