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View all search resultsAnalysis: Indonesia plays it safe in response to US attack on Venezuela
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Bold operation: Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on Jan. 05, at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as he heads toward the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, the US. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
I
t should have been a no-brainer for Indonesia to condemn the United States for bombing Caracas and then seizing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, flying them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. This was clearly an act of aggression against a sovereign country and a violation of international laws.
The statement from the Foreign Ministry not only fell short of condemnation but also refrained from naming the US as the aggressor.
The statement, posted on Dec. 3 on the ministry’s X and Instagram accounts in both English and Indonesian but not on its website kemlu.go.id, reads: “The Government of Indonesia is closely monitoring the latest developments in Venezuela. Indonesia expresses its grave concern over any actions involving the use or threat of force, which is setting a dangerous precedent in international relations and could undermine regional stability, peace and the principles of sovereignty and diplomacy. […]
“Indonesia urges all parties to exercise dialogue and self-restraint and to fully respect international law.”
The official response has baffled Dino Patti Djalal, founding chair of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), who took to social media to ask, “Since when have we become reluctant/afraid in criticizing a friend for violating international laws?”
Dino, a career diplomat and a former ambassador to the US who is now a staunch critic of the government’s foreign policy, continued: “Why hasn’t Foreign Minister Sugiono weighed in? The world is waiting for the view of Indonesia, an important member of the Global South.”
The short answer to these questions is that Indonesia is putting national interests before ideological principles, and fear or reluctance has little to do with its stance.
