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View all search resultsAnalysis: Prabowo stakes his and Indonesia’s place in the world
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President Prabowo Subianto speaks on Sept. 23 during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City. (AFP/Timothy A. Clary)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto gave a passionate speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 23 that impressed many people, paving the way for the Indonesian leader to set himself as an international leader ready to play his part in promoting global peace and order.
Making his debut at the annual gathering of world leaders, Prabowo reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to the multilateral system under a strong UN and offered to send soldiers for peacekeeping missions anywhere in the world, including Gaza.
He also said Indonesia is ready to recognize Israel and provide guarantees of its safety and security after the creation of the Palestinian state. While recognition of Israel is implied by Indonesia’s support for the two-state solution, no other Indonesian leader in the past has gone as far as openly stating it, let alone offering to provide security for the Jewish state.
Prabowo won praise from many global leaders for his speech, although some at home criticized him for trying to appease Israel too much when it is now widely recognized that it is conducting a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
United States President Donald Trump described it as a “great speech” and praised the delivery, noting Prabowo’s banging his fist on the podium, when the two met on the sidelines of the assembly in New York City. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke at the assembly two days later, hailed Prabowo’s speech as “optimistic”, coming from the country with the world’s largest Muslim population.
Praise came from many other global leaders, with many of them approaching Prabowo immediately after the speech to congratulate him, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to the Presidential Office in Jakarta.
That Prabowo has ambitions to be seen as a global leader is well known. He had traveled the world extensively even before his inauguration in October 2024, cutting deals bilaterally and addressing summits in international forums. He has visited at least 35 countries as president and attended five different summits, including the latest UNGA.
