Bangladesh, Nov. 6 -- Indonesias Foreign Minister Sugiono landed in Pyongyang this October. It was the first top-level visit from Jakarta in over 12 years. The timing was no accident: it coincided with North Koreas big party for the 80th anniversary of its Workers Party. High-profile guests from the region showed up, including Chinas Premier Li Qiang and Vietnams Communist Party chief To Lam. During the trip, Sugiono signed a fresh memorandum of understanding on regular bilateral talks.

This has started quiet talk of closer security links between two countries long kept apart by ideology and isolation. This is a calculated step in Indonesias military modernization drive, one that could reshape how we view the Indo-Pacific chessboard.

Wh...