Indonesias Foreign Policy

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Indonesias Foreign Policy

• 27 October 2005

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Study Questions

• What has been the essence of Indonesia's FP? What
  determines it?
• How did Indonesia's FP differ under Sukarno and
  under Suharto?
• How is ASEAN related to Indonesia's FP?
• How does internal security affect Indonesia's FP?
• Over all, what are Indonesia's goals, actors,
  instruments, and strategies?
• How do you evaluate Indonesia's FP?

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What has been the essence of Indonesia's FP?

• Two basic FP postures Anti-colonialism (hostile
  to Western powers) independent and active FP
• Comprehensive strategy linking external and
  internal security in political, economic, and
  social aspects
• Pancasila (five national principles) Belief in
  One God, Humanitarianism, Unity, Democracy,
  Social Justice

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What determines it?

• Historical consciousness
• exploited by the Dutch colonialism and the
  Chinese
• struggle against the Dutch w/o other Western
  supports
• even after independence, Western powers failed to
  acknowledge.
• --gt Nationalism (in terms of anti-colonialism)
• Territory and resources
• Threat perceptions
• leadership and elite (secular nationalists)

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How did Indonesia's FP differ under Sukarno and
under Suharto?

• Sukarno (1949-65)
• Guided Democracy
• national interest in terms of territorial
  integrity
• nationalist and ideological
• non-alignment 1955 Bandung AA Conference
• Sukarno emphasized anti-colonialism too much.
• Active gt independent
• the Jakarta-Phnom Pehn-Beijing-Pyongyang Axis
• Confrontation w/ Malaysia and Singapore

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Suharto (1967-98)

• the New Order
• national interest in terms of economic
  interest--foreign aid from non-communist west
• pragmatism
• Suharto emphasized domestic economic development
  until the mid 1980s, while pursue FP through
  ASEAN as regional leader.
• the 30th Anniversary of Bandung in 1985
• Mediator in the Vietnam-Cambodia Conflict

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Suharto (cont.)

• the end of Cold War, economic boom, more self
  confidence
• restore relations w/ China (1990)
• Suharto became NAM leader (1992-95)
• leading role in APEC (Bogor Declaration 1994)
• Suharto had been the icon for ASEAN with broker
  role.
• Jakarta Meeting on Cambodia
• Workshop on the South China Sea
• the ARF

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Comparing Sukarno and Suharto

• Sukarno
• internationalism
• the West threat
• confrontation
• pro-PKI, PRC
• autarky

• Suharto
• national resilience
• the West aid, tech.
• regional cooperation
• anti-communist/PRC
• openness

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How is ASEAN related to Indonesia's FP?

• ASEAN has been a main pillar for Indonesias FP.
• ASEAN was possible because of the leadership
  change in Indonesia. --gt gave up Konfrontasi
• Regional leadership w/ less costs
• for credibility --gt aid and investment from the
  West
• for regional cooperation --gt less supports for
  rebels/secessionists
• While depositing FP to ASEAN, Indonesia could
  focus on economic development and internal
  security.

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How does internal security affect Indonesia's FP?

• Political instability partly led Sukarno to unite
  the nation through nationalism and active FP.
• Anti-communism led Suharto to play down the
  Western threat.
• ASEAN as the way to seek regional cooperation for
  the sake of internal security
• Emphasis on national unity and political
  stability --gt conflicts on human rights

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Over all, what are Indonesia's goals, actors,
instruments, and strategies?

• Goals sovereignty and unity, political stability
  and regime maintenance, economic development
• Actors leaders
• Instruments ASEAN, diplomacy
• Strategies regional cooperation, regional
  leadership, non-alignment

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What IR theory explains Indonesias FP better?

• Realism?
• Liberal Institutionalism?
• Constructivism?

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How do you evaluate Indonesia's FP?

• Success?
• Failure?
• In what aspects?