Nuclear Weapons Free Zones: A Comparative Perspective by Exequiel Lacovsky

Author:Exequiel Lacovsky [Lacovsky, Exequiel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Diplomacy, General, Peace, Arms Control, Political Science, Political Freedom, Security (National & International)
ISBN: 9781000360257
Google: q9gREAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 55561268
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-03-08T00:00:00+00:00

Indonesia is the leading country in Southeast Asia and the engine that drove the regionalization process.53 It is also the most populated country in the region, with 250 million people, accounting for 40 percent of the population of Southeast Asia. Indonesia is the only ASEAN nation that is a member of the Group of Twenty, and as of 2016, Indonesia was ranked sixteenth in the GDP World Bank ranking.

Indonesia gained independence in the aftermath of World War II in August 1945. The country was a Dutch colony until 1942 and was occupied by Japan during war. The transition from a colonial territory to an independent polity was headed by Sukarno, who remained the leader until his deposition in 1967. His long-lived term as a political leader was shaped by a policy of confrontation (Konfrontasi) toward his neighbors, in particular the Federation of Malaysia, which was seen as a British puppet in Southeast Asia.54 This policy led to coercive diplomatic actions and small-scale military activity. Eventually, this course of action weakened Indonesia and led to the fall of Sukarno. Konfrontasi burdened the Indonesian domestic economy and antagonized its neighbors.

The fall of Sukarno allowed its new leaders to reconsider the country’s priorities. Sukarno’s successor, General Suharto, opted to set Indonesian politics on a new path, which was known as the New Order.55 Among the pillars set forth in the New Order, two elements stood out and shaped the policy of contemporary Indonesia. First, Indonesia sought a rapprochement with Malaysia to clear up any lingering apprehensions regarding the previous hostile relationship between the two countries. Cooperation between the countries was a pivotal step which laid the foundation for the establishment of ASEAN in 1967. Second, Indonesia focused on advancing its economic development. Both pillars were aimed at generating conditions that would allow Indonesia to become a leading force in regional affairs. If Konfrontasi did not provide Indonesia with any significant success, the new policy of cooperation was aimed at reversing this trend. By becoming a good and peaceful neighbor, Indonesia aimed to obtain regional recognition as a leader.

Although Suharto abandoned the radical anti-Western stance of his predecessor, Suharto’s position did share some common traits with Sukarno – namely, a commitment to a non-aligned and neutralist policy. In practical terms, this policy translated into rejecting the intervention of foreign powers in regional affairs. Opposition to the presence of foreign military bases in Southeast Asia became a leitmotiv of Indonesia’s approach to regional affairs.56 Against this backdrop, Indonesia introduced the motto “regional solutions to regional problems”,57 a position meant to reduce external influence in the regional arena; this approach encouraged internal conflict management and mediation in regional crises and has decisively contributed to several institutional developments in ASEAN.58 Furthermore, Indonesia carefully avoided conflicts with other states since it considered the cohesion of Southeast Asia as much more important than short-term disputes or disagreements. In brief, while Indonesia did not display a clear assertiveness toward its neighbors during Suharto’s era, this does not mean it did not exercise leadership.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.