A Contestation of Indonesian and Thailand's National Interest in Cooperation on Narcotics Management

Abstract

This article discusses the pessimistic attitude towards international cooperation between Indonesia and Thailand. The bilateral cooperation in the drug field that took place between the two countries on December 8, 2016 was in fact only a tool used for the interests of each country and ended the competition of interests between both countries. So the collaboration planned for five years must end in the third year. The purpose of this article is to look at the changes in attitudes between the two countries and the dynamics of contesting the national interests of Indonesia and Thailand in cooperation in narcotics. The collaboration between the two countries is studied from a realistic perspective by paying particular attention to the concept of national interest to understand the motivation of the two nations to cooperate, as well as revealing the reasons for the non-implementation of cooperation in 2020 – 2021. The data presented in this study is in the form of primary data through interviews with a number of sources and secondary data obtained through library studies. In the findings of the research, the failure to cooperate between the two countries was found notwithstanding the heterogeneity or differences in behaviour and actions caused by their respective internal factors, both political and economic needs and security issues. This research shows that the national interests of the country in fact drive the interaction between Indonesia and Thailand. The author finds that the change in attitude between Indonesia and Thailand is the result of the regulatory change that Thailand has made in dealing with narcotic drugs like marijuana. These differences of opinion are considered significant and affect many aspects between the respective countries. So cooperation is no longer possible. Keywords: National interest; Transnational crime; Non-traditional security; International cooperation; Indonesia; Thailand.