TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
No ‘decisive’ departure from ASEAN in Indonesian policy
Indonesia’s work on an ASEAN-centric and inclusive Indo-Pacific strategy is proof of the nation’s commitment to the Southeast Asian collective as a “cornerstone” of its foreign policy, one international relations expert has argued, reigniting a debate about whether Jakarta under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has moved away from its immediate neighbors
Change Size
I
span>Indonesia’s work on an ASEAN-centric and inclusive Indo-Pacific strategy is proof of the nation’s commitment to the Southeast Asian collective as a “cornerstone” of its foreign policy, one international relations expert has argued, reigniting a debate about whether Jakarta under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has moved away from its immediate neighbors.
Ahead of an impending election next month, observers have begun to question the president’s commitment to foreign policy issues beyond pragmatic economic considerations based on greater trade and investment flows, especially when it comes to the regional context.
However, according to Jürgen Rüland, director of the Southeast Asia program at the University of Freiburg in Germany, Indonesia’s work on a common ASEAN position for the Indo-Pacific concept serves as a counterargument to a supposed decline in Indonesia’s ASEAN-mindedness.
“The current foreign policy is not as flamboyant and not as underpinned by catchy slogans and doctrines […] but it does not mean necessarily that it is less effective or it’s in decline in terms of foreign policy presence,” Rüland said during a discussion on regionalism held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta on Thursday.
He said there had to be some hard indicators to measure whether Jokowi’s administration scaled down the significance of ASEAN compared to the previous administration under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono — who was known to be active in foreign policy.
Jokowi has faced criticism for his apparent disinterest in foreign policy and that as a result of it, ASEAN has been relegated to “a cornerstone and not the cornerstone” of Indonesian foreign policy. Experts are also unclear as to how the bloc would fit within an Indo-Pacific order, and whether it would be supplanted by other regional powers and initiatives.
Nevertheless, the fact that Indonesia was developing an ASEAN-centered outlook for the Indo-Pacific was itself encouraging.
“I have no prediction about what will happen with the Indo-Pacific concept, but Indonesia and ASEAN are promoting [something] that is a very prudent policy [emphasizing] inclusiveness,” Rüland said.
The Indo-Pacific is an evolving concept for a regional order straddling the Indian and Pacific oceans, interpretations of which vary depending on the interests of countries in the region. It has gained ground in recent years, with various world leaders using it to confirm their strategic interests.
Indonesia is to host a high-level dialogue on Indo-Pacific cooperation in Jakarta next week, underscoring its emphasis on inclusiveness in a region prone to competing interests.
The forthcoming ASEAN position on the ordeal is set to be discussed at the East Asia Summit, which comprises the 10 ASEAN countries as well as most of the group’s dialogue partners.
Jokowi faces reelection next month in a repeat of the 2014 presidential elections, with Prabowo Subianto — a retired general who observers say has an approach to foreign policy that is similar to Yudhoyono’s — as his opponent. Foreign policy is expected to be the main topic of the fourth presidential debate due at the end of this month. (tjs)
