HE rose up the ranks at Pejambon, headquarters of the Foreign Affairs Department (Deplu) by surpassing many of his seniors. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Marty Muliana Natalegawa, 46, today is at the forefront of Indonesia’s diplomacy.

Just one day after he was sworn into office, Marty flew to Thailand to be with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was attending the ASEAN Summit. In the meantime, he must prepare a 100-day program fo