Among other middle powers in Asia, Indonesia saw an increase in its diplomatic influence in the region despite the limited resources it has, a recent report by think tank the Lowy Institute has found.
mid speculation that Indonesia is becoming an inward-looking country, a recent report found that the country has been growing its international power and influence at a greater rate than any other nation through its strong diplomatic performance.
Considered a “net overachiever” in Asia, Indonesia has been able to exert more influence in the region than initially expected given its available resources, with its international cultural power seeing the highest gains among others in 2024.
The annual Asia Power Index report, published on Sunday by Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute, ranked 27 countries using 131 indicators across eight measures, including military capability, cultural influence, resilience, economic capability and defense networks.
The 2024 edition, which for the first time included Timor-Leste, ranked the United States and China as the most powerful countries in the region. Both countries experienced an upward trend of growth with Washington at 81.7, ahead of Beijing at 72.7.
India, at 39.1, took the third place in the “middle power” category, followed by Japan at 38.9 and Australia at 31.9.
Indonesia ranked ninth with a score of 22.3, a 2.3-point increase from the 2023 index. The country has been noted as having “the highest growth in comprehensive power since 2018”.
While the think tank could not point out a single factor for Indonesia’s growth, an aspect that contributes to such progress may be its diplomatic influence, the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia program director Susannah Patton said.
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