This book examines Indonesia’s strategies and policies to influence regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, focusing especially on Indonesia’s efforts to be the maritime fulcrum in the Indo-Pacific during President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) administration from 2014 until the present. Highlighting the importance of Indonesia as the largest country in Southeast Asia and as a founder member of ASEAN, the book, based on extensive original research, provides key insights into Indonesia’s maritime policy decision-making since 2014. It discusses the domestic political context in which foreign policy decisions are made, provides an explanation for Indonesia’s efforts to project its vision of Indo-Pacific cooperation at the ASEAN level and beyond, and demonstrates how Indonesia strives to maintain a delicate balance in its interactions with major powers in the region, including the United States, China, and Japan.
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
A Note on the Author
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Locating Indonesia in the Literature on the Indo-Pacific
Indonesia’s Perception of Threats
Indonesia and Regional Maritime Security
Outline of This book
1 Domestic Politics and Global Maritime Fulcrum
Indonesia’s Leadership in Maritime Affairs
Indonesia’s Conception of Global Maritime Fulcrum
Domestic Source of Global Maritime Fulcrum
The Rise and Decline of the Global Maritime Fulcrum?
Conclusion
2 Projecting Indonesia’s Vision of Indo-Pacific at ASEAN and Beyond
Indonesia’s Indo-Pacific Concept
Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean Region
Indonesia and the Indian Ocean
Global Pandemic and the War in Ukraine
Conclusion
3 Indonesia and the United States: Improving and Increasing Cooperation
Introduction
Indonesian Government Discourses on U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy
On the QUAD
On AUKUS
Media Representation of U.S. Indo-Pacific Leadership
Conclusion
4 Indonesia-China Relations: A Growing Discontent
Introduction
Indonesian Government Discourse on China’s Influence in the Indo-Pacific Region
Media Representation of China’s Influence in the Indo-Pacific Region
Conclusion
5 Indonesia and Japan Relations in the Indo-Pacific Era
Introduction
Japan Indo-Pacific Leadership and Its Depiction in Indonesian Government Discourse
Maritime Security Cooperation
Infrastructure and Connectivity
Media Representation of Japan’s Leadership in Indo-Pacific
Conclusion
Conclusion
Future work
Index
Biography
Senia Febrica is a Knowledge Exchange Associate, an early career researcher in the One Ocean Hub of the Law School, University of Strathclyde, UK and a Senior Research Fellow (Honorary) in the American Studies Center, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia.
