Indonesia’s foreign policy faces challenges of institutional incoherence amid US–China rivalry and expanding sectoral diplomacy. This paper proposes a Disciplined Ideocracy model to strengthen the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ role in maintaining consistent foreign policy based on the principle of bebas aktif. The proposed reforms include a 48-hour rapid clearance protocol, a specialized l…
Digital transformation in Indonesian diplomacy requires stronger sovereign control over communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas missions. The Overseas Diplomatic Communication System (SKD) plays a crucial role in transmitting diplomatic instructions, coordinating crisis responses, and protecting Indonesian citizens abroad. This paper proposes strengthening SKD as an i…
The Indonesia–Australia Treaty on Common Security 2026 provides an opportunity to strengthen bilateral security cooperation, national resilience, and Indonesia’s regional leadership amid intensifying great-power competition. However, its effectiveness depends on implementation that preserves Indonesia’s bebas aktif foreign policy, reinforces ASEAN centrality, and avoids strategic polariza…
The Timor Sea holds strategic significance for Indonesia in safeguarding maritime sovereignty, strengthening regional security, and advancing economic interests in its southern maritime region. Although Indonesia and Australia have established their maritime boundaries through a series of agreements, unresolved aspects of maritime delimitation with Timor-Leste and the absence of a trilateral co…
President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Islamabad in December 2025 marked a strategic opportunity to strengthen Indonesia–Pakistan bilateral relations, particularly in the economic sector. Both countries committed to advancing the Indonesia–Pakistan Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by 2027. The commitments include preferential t…
Protection diplomacy is a key pillar of Indonesia’s foreign policy in safeguarding the safety and rights of Indonesian citizens abroad. Increasing cross-border mobility, geopolitical competition, weakening multilateral institutions, and the growing frequency of transnational crises have heightened the risks faced by Indonesian citizens, particularly migrant workers employed in vulnerable sect…
Rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait amid intensifying US–China competition pose significant risks to Indonesia’s trade, supply chains, and the safety of Indonesian nationals in Taiwan. Indonesia’s reactive approach and fragmented inter-agency coordination could hinder timely responses to a regional crisis. This policy brief recommends establishing an Integrated Diplomatic Readiness Frame…
As the implementation of its commitment in Paris Agreement, Indonesia has targeted new and renewable energy (NRE) share up to 23% in the energy mix by 2025 and up to 31% by 2050. To achieve this target, Indonesia has planned to develop NRE sourced electricity by building more NRE power plants. According to Electricity Supply Business Plan (Rencana Usaha Penyediaan Tenaga Listrik/RUPTL), it …
Advances in science and technology, together with the expansion of global trade, have intensified cross-border interactions and increased the need for international legal cooperation in civil and commercial matters. Such cooperation is essential for addressing cross jurisdictional legal issues, protecting Indonesian nationals and legal entities, and advancing Indonesia’s economic diplomacy. T…
The evolving nature of diplomacy and foreign service assignments presents challenges for diplomats’ spouses, who must balance their personal and professional lives with overseas postings. Existing policies in many ministries of foreign affairs tend to reflect a conventional single-career family model, leaving the personal and professional development needs of diplomats’ spouses insufficient…