Indonesia's Soft Power: Why Leaders Matter

Abstract

This paper is contextualized within the expanding focus of soft power in international affairs and the growing number of leaders adopting soft power initiatives to achieve foreign policy outcomes. In the post-authoritarian era, Indonesia’s foreign policy began to take a more “charm” building character, which was dominated by refrains of cooperation (“Million Friends Zero Enemies” doctrine), Indonesia’s role as a peace broker in the Asia Pacific region and the bridge between Islam and the West. The central questions that this paper will address are: What are the role of different leaders in shaping and advancing Indonesia’s image and power? To what extent have the political elites’ worldview and foreign policy priorities changed since the authoritarian era that have allowed them to promote Indonesia’s soft power? Moreover, how do the political elites view Indonesia’s soft power in relation to its foreign policy goals? This paper first looks at the historical background of Indonesia’s foreign policy and the worldview of its leaders. It will delve into the past image of Indonesia under the Sukarno and Suharto regimes. Secondly, it will provide an explanation on the concept of soft power and the leaders’ interpretation of soft power in the Indonesian context. It will explore the present image and national brand of Indonesia that is being promoted by the leaders. Thirdly, it will assess the motivations behind the leaders’ focus on soft power and its relations to Indonesia’s foreign policy goals. Lastly, the paper concludes with an analysis of how a change in leadership in the 2014 national election may affect the future of Indonesia’s soft power and foreign policy.