Indonesia’s role as the G-20 president this year got off to a rocky start. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Jakarta came under pressure from the U.S. and its allies to de-invite Russian President Vladimir Putin from the summit. China, meanwhile, is hoping to sideline discussions of the Ukraine War entirely.
Indonesia’s hosting of the G-20 at this crucial time has plunged the Jokowi administration, not known for its foreign policy ambitions, into global politics. And President Jokowi seems to be embracing the moment, embarking on trips to both Russia and Ukraine earlier this year and a rare post-pandemic visit to China in July. What does Indonesia’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine War, and its G-20 presidency more generally, tell us about Jokowi’s foreign policy approach?
In this webinar, recorded on August 3,2022, experts discuss Jokowi’s diplomatic strategy in a year of increasing geopolitical polarization.
Featuring Dr. Rizal Sukma, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Indonesia; Dr. Shafiah F. Muhibat, the Deputy Executive Director for Research at CSIS in Jakarta; and I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana, a senior lecturer of International Relations in the Department of International Relations Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Airlangga Surabaya Indonesia; and moderated by Sebastian Strangio, Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat.