The telephone on the desk of Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda rang that Tuesday evening at 6pm. It was the Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands, Muhammad Yusuf, reporting an important development from The Hague: the International Court of Justice had just ruled in favor of Malaysia on the conflict over the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan. Of the 17 justices in the tribunal, 16 had given their vote to Malaysia.

The Dutch radio station