Testing Indonesia's bebas-aktif foreign policy in a world of instability

Testing Indonesia's bebas-aktif foreign policy in a world of instability

In recent years the world has faced many geopolitical challenges, most notably the current fuel crisis caused by conflict in the Middle East. This turbulent environment has put a renewed focus on how countries can manage these threats which has been reflected in the deepening of security ties between Australia and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has maintained and developed engagement across a broad range of global powers including the US, China and Russia. This is reflective of Indonesia's longstanding commitment to a free and active (bebas dan aktif) foreign policy, proactively building stronger ties while avoiding alignment to any single major power bloc.

This panel considers how Prabowo has used this 'bebas dan aktif' approach to influence his foreign policy decisions, and how effective this multilateral approach has been? Moreover, it discusses what implications this approach may have on the Australia-Indonesia relationship.

Speakers

Marcus Meitzner is a Professor at the Department of Political and Social Change (PSC), ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. He has decades of research experience on Indonesia's politics, focusing on political parties and the presidency in democratic Indonesia. He has written extensively on the topic with multiple published books and many research articles.

Dr Fitriani is a Senior Analyst with ASPI’s Cyber, Technology and Security Program. Her research focuses on hybrid threats in the Indo-Pacific, as well as foreign policy and non-traditional security issues. She has undertaken research at many institutions including UN Women and Oxfam, and she has a particular interest in Indonesia.

Jefferson Ng is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political and Social Change (PSC), ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. His research focuses on how the presidency, consisting of presidential advisors and staff, supports the president in policy making. He has published research on Indonesian political institutions linking it to both domestic and international politics. 

Aristyo R. Darmawan is a PhD Scholar at the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University. His research focuses on the intersection between international law of the sea, foreign policy and maritime security in the Asia Pacific, with a focus on Indonesia.

This is a collaborative event between ANU Indonesia Institute and Australia-Indonesia Youth Association (AIYA).