\nTime: 2:30 – 4:00 PM
\nVenue BILIK SEMINAR IKMAS
\nR.S.V.P: https:\/\/bit.ly\/IKMAS_PrabowoUS<\/a><\/p>\n
President Prabowo Subianto ascended to the presidency in October 2024 determined to elevate Indonesia’s role on the global stage and enhance his own stature as an international statesman. At a time when intensifying Sino-American rivalry generates pressure to choose sides, many Indonesians welcomed the prospect of Prabowo asserting Indonesian interests through an independent policy stance consistent with the country’s free and active doctrine. Instead, Prabowo embarked on an effort to forge close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump. Professor Ann Marie Murphy examines Prabowo’s controversial decisions to join the Trump Board of Peace, sign a tariff deal that grants asymmetric benefits to the United States, and refrain from criticizing Trump’s war against Iran.<\/p>\n
The speaker argues that Prabowo’s insight that Trump was the key architect of U.S. foreign policy and needed to be engaged was correct. Prabowo failed, however, to appreciate the utter transactionalism and zero-sum nature of Trump’s worldview that would lead him to demand maximal gains for Washington with little regard for Indonesian interests and political sensitivities. She argues that Prabowo’s appeasement of Trump has come at a high cost: it has undercut Indonesia’s longstanding principled foreign policy posture; diminished Indonesia’s international standing; tarnished Prabowo’s international image while weakening his domestic political standing; and threatens Indonesia’s economic prosperity and sovereignty.<\/p>\n
The presentation concludes that Prabowo’s appeasement of Trump at a time when Trump’s disruptive policies have ruptured the international system is extremely unfortunate. As middle powers seek to shape a new global order that reflects their interests, Indonesia with a long history of advocating for the interest of the Global South should play a prominent role in this effort. Prabowo’s abandonment of Indonesia’s principled foreign policy in favor of a transactional approach will likely limit Indonesia’s ability to perform its middlepowership amid the changing world order.<\/p>\n
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