Indonesian Foreign and Security Policy

This course examines Indonesia's foreign and security policy against the background of the country's decades-long, but still unfulfilled quest for a larger global role. As the nation with the fourth-largest population in the world, and as the third-largest democracy, Indonesia rightly aspires to expand its influence and have a greater say in international affairs. But both its foreign policy and its regional and international security policy have often been criticised as insufficient to achieve this goal. What, then, have been the hurdles to Indonesia's development into a key diplomatic and security actor? What have successive Indonesian presidents done to overcome these obstacles and increase Indonesia's international weight? How do Indonesia's neighbours, including Australia, view Indonesia's foreign and security potential, and its limitations? What is the most likely trajectory of Indonesia's foreign and security role in the decades ahead? How has the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the country hard, influenced this trajectory? In this course, we will investigate the questions outlined above, and evaluate Indonesia's status in the web of regional powers in the Asia-Pacific region. In doing so, we will also reflect on key theoretical and conceptual questions in regards to the sources of a country's diplomatic and strategic power. Indonesia, with its quickly growing economy but continuously weak military, is a highly suitable case study for investigations into what exactly constitutes political and security influence in today's global security system.