Indonesia's Foreign Policy Shifts

The East-West Center is hosting an Asia Pacific Foreign Policy and Defense Seminar:

 

Indonesia’s Foreign Policy Shifts   

Featuring:

Dr. Vibhanshu Shekhar

Visiting Fellow,  East-West Center in Washington   

Arto Suryodipuro (Discussant)

Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Indonesia

The last fifteen months have seen robust domestic and international debates on the changing fundamentals of Indonesia’s foreign policy. These debates have highlighted different shades of Indonesian foreign policy, exhibiting the complex nature of Indonesian strategic thinking and the multiple challenges it seeks to address. Experts have variously labeled Indonesia’s current strategic thinking as assertive, inward-looking, internationalist and auto-piloted. Some have also wondered whether Jokowi’s Indonesia has any foreign policy direction at all.

 

Emerging powers, such as Indonesia, often encounter growing dissonance between their existing international status and aspirations. Jokowi’s Indonesia is exhibiting a similar dilemma, prompting Indonesia watchers to revisit Indonesia’s long-standing debate about whether Indonesia is punching below, above or at par with its weight. Jokowi’s Indonesia seems to have moved away from ASEAN, altered some of its normative and ideological approaches, and changed its long-standing position on the South China Sea. Experts debate whether Indonesia is “going it alone”.

 

Dr. Vibhanshu Shekhar, an Asia Studies Visiting Fellow at the East West Center, will discuss these issues in order to highlight strategic underpinnings of the foreign policy of Jokowi’s Indonesia.
Thursday, October 1

12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.

A light luncheon will be served. 

 

East-West Center in Washington

1819 L Street, NW, Washington DC, Sixth Floor
This event is free and open to the public.

 

To RSVP please click here: https://www.eastwestcenter.org/ZZn