Abu Dhabi prince, Indonesia president Jokowi quietly forge strategic alliance

Abu Dhabi prince, Indonesia president Jokowi quietly forge strategic alliance

Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

During a visit last summer where he strolled through the tropical gardens next to Indonesia’s summer Presidential Palace, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince offered to build a grand mosque for his host, Joko Widodo. If that seemed like a generous gesture, the two men struck a bigger bargain within months, appointing the de-facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates to chair the steering committee for a new $34 billion Indonesian capital city.