Indonesia's Diplomatic Maneuvers in the Current Geopolitical Situation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59784/glosains.v7i3.798Keywords:
ASEAN, BRICS, Global South, Hedging, Indonesia, Middle-Power DiplomacyAbstract
Background: Indonesia’s recent engagement with BRICS marked a strategic recalibration of its foreign policy amid intensifying great-power rivalries.
Objective: This study aimed to examine how Indonesia employed a diplomatic hedging strategy to balance its relations with BRICS and the United States within an emerging multipolar world order.
Methods: Using a qualitative research design that integrated document analysis and elite interviews, this paper analyzed Indonesia’s diplomatic discourse, policy statements, and trade relations during the 2022–2025 period.
Results: The findings revealed that Indonesia’s multi-alignment behavior represented an adaptive evolution of its bebas aktif doctrine, emphasizing pragmatic engagement with competing powers while avoiding overdependence on any single bloc. This hedging behavior was manifested through selective economic cooperation, diversified partnerships, and cautious political signaling.
Conclusion: This study contributed to the growing literature on middle-power diplomacy by offering empirical insights into Southeast Asia’s strategic autonomy under global systemic change. This paper argues that Indonesia’s multi-alignment policy strengthened regional stability while preserving strategic sovereignty within ASEAN’s centrality framework.
References
Al Putra, F. A., Akbar, M. A., & Sumarman, M. I. A. (2025). Indonesia’s membership in BRICS: From economic growth opportunities to geopolitical challenges. Jurnal Hubungan Internasional, 13(2), 63–74.
Amaechi, O. C. (2020). Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and its relevance to the global political economy. Developing Economic Journal, 6(4), 99–105.
Goh, E. (2005). Meeting the China challenge: The US in Southeast Asian regional security strategies.
Karim, M. F. (2018). Middle power, status-seeking and role conceptions: The cases of Indonesia and South Korea. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 72(4), 343–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2018.1443428
Karim, M. F. (2026). Layered incoherence in middle power foreign policy: Indonesia and the U.S.-China rivalry. Global Policy, 17(S1), S55–S64. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.70093
Kuik, C.-C. (2008). The essence of hedging: Malaysia and Singapore’s response to a rising China. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 30(2), 159–185. https://doi.org/10.1355/CS30-2A
Kuik, C.-C. (2016). How do weaker states hedge? Unpacking ASEAN states’ alignment behavior towards China. Journal of Contemporary China, 25(100), 500–514. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2015.1132714
Leifer, M. (1983). Indonesia's foreign policy. (No Title).
Mahaseth, H., & Zainab, F. (2025). Indonesia’s strategic use of ASEAN in balancing regional and global power dynamics. Janus.net, 16(2), 106–126. https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT0525.6
Nugroho, C. A. J., Waskito, W., Widyani, K., & Ramadhan, R. A. (2025). Mapping Indonesia relation to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa): Two-Level Game Theory approach. RSF Conference Series: Business, Management and Social Sciences, 5(2), 113–120. https://doi.org/10.31098/bmss.v5i2.958
Setiawan, A. (2025). Indonesia's joins BRICS: Balancing economic opportunities and geopolitical challenges in a multipolar world. Journal of Law, Politic and Humanities, 5(3), 2075–2082. https://doi.org/10.38035/jlph.v5i3.1567
Shekhar, V. (2018). Indonesia’s foreign policy and grand strategy in the 21st century: Rise of an Indo-Pacific power. Routledge.
Sukma, R. (1995). The evolution of Indonesia’s foreign policy: An Indonesian view. Asian Survey, 35(3), 304–315. https://doi.org/10.2307/2645547
Syamsudin, A. (2025). Indonesia's diplomacy strategy in BRICS: Bridging national interest and global political balance. Security Intelligence Terrorism Journal (SITJ), 2(2), 156–184. https://doi.org/10.70710/sitj.v2i2.44
Tan, S. S. (2020). Consigned to hedge: Southeast Asia and America’s "free and open Indo-Pacific" strategy. International Affairs, 96(1), 131–148. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiz227
Wso, A. A., & Mahmood, R. M. (2025). The role of BRICS in reshaping the global order: Confronting Western hegemony in a multipolar world. European Scientific Journal, 21(17), 24–52.
Yahya, I. P. (2023). Articulation of Indonesia's bebas-aktif foreign policy in responding Russia–Ukraine conflict [Artikulasi kebijakan luar negeri Indonesia bebas-aktif dalam merespon konflik Rusia–Ukraina]. Jurnal Politica: Dinamika Masalah Politik Dalam Negeri dan Hubungan Internasional, 14(2), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.22212/jp.v14i2.3498
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Yongnian, Z., & Xin, L. W. (2017). The Changing Geopolitical Landscape, China and the World Order in the 21st Century. China: An International Journal, 15(1), 4–23.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yumetri Abidin, Irma Indrayan, Iskandarsyah Siregar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.



