Foreign Policy 2 - Indonesia at Melbourne

Growing Indonesia’s strategic influence in a zero-sum world

The next president needs to devise a strategic and nuanced foreign policy that can elevate Indonesia’s place in the world and take concrete actions to maintain regional stability and prosperity - and that will mean more than just relying on economic growth to do all the work.

Talking Indonesia: Indonesian encounters in Israel and Palestine

Foreign Policy, Migration, Religion

Formal diplomatic relations do not exist between Israel and Indonesia so direct interactions between these two peoples are rare. Yet as Indonesia’s expanding middle classes enjoy greater access to international travel, Muslim and Christian Indonesians are increasingly visiting the holy land. Have these encounters shifted the perceptions of these pilgrims about the conflict Israel-Palestine conflict? Jemma Purdey explores this question with anthropologist Mirjam Lücking.

Photo from Canva

Values-based or transactional? Comparing the foreign policies of Indonesia’s presidential candidates

2024 Indonesian Elections, Foreign Policy

Indonesia has long been known for what it calls its ‘free and active’ (bebas aktif) foreign policy. This policy has endured – but that doesn’t mean we should assume continuity in Indonesian foreign policy when there is a change of president.

https://www.antaranews.com/foto/3778404/presiden-jokowi-disambut-upacara-kenegaraan-di-china/2

How green is China’s Belt and Road investment in Indonesia?

Economy, Foreign Policy, Uncategorized

Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with Chinese President Xi Xinping on the sidelines of the 5th Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Summit in Hong Kong on 17 October. They announced a unveiled a host of new investment deals focused on green development. But how green is Chinese investment, really?

Indonesia as ASEAN chair – not rocking the boat in 2023

Foreign Policy, Security

When Indonesia took over the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in January 2023, the organisation was in need of strong leadership. Ultimately, Jakarta failed to offer much-needed leadership on new norms and principles to maintain ASEAN’s unity and relevance. But it did secure several tangible deliverables during its time as chair.

Another BRIC in the wall? Indonesia’s BRICS dilemma

Foreign Policy, Politics

On August 2023, President Widodo attended the 15th annual BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in Indonesia’s capacity as ASEAN Chair. Indonesia will remain outside BRICS for the time being. But big questions remain. Will Indonesia will join the bloc in the future? And does Indonesia share BRICS’ enthusiasm for challenging Western dominance of the international order?

Talking Indonesia: Jokowi Goes to Africa

Foreign Policy, Talking Indonesia

Joko Widodo’s recent trip to four African countries marked the first ever by an Indonesian head of state.So, what motivated such a high-level trip to Africa? Why did Jokowi choose to make such an historic visit at this stage in his presidency? What is the current state of Indonesia-Africa relations and what might Indonesia’s ambitions be for its future in the continent? In this week's episode Jemma Purdey chats with Dr Christophe Dorigné-Thomson who holds a PhD in Politics from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Indonesia.

https://en.antaranews.com/news/289623/president-jokowi-scheduled-to-attend-universiade-chengdu-opening

Jokowi’s China visit - new deals, old problems

Economy, Foreign Policy, Security

Indonesia President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo completed his sixth official visit to China last week. The recent Chengdu visit serves as a reminder of just how far Indonesia-China relations have come under the ten years of the Indonesia-China Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Jokowi’s tenure as President.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Garuda_Indonesia_Boeing_737-800_PK-GMM_HKG_2012-7-18.png

Business partnerships the winner from Jokowi’s visit but visa reforms fall short

Foreign Policy, Migration

For years, Indonesian and Australian leaders have been meeting to shake hands and declare the huge potential for our two countries to build closer relations. The visit to Sydney last week by Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo…

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