Lecture Abstract:

During his presidential campaign and since his inauguration, President Joko Widodo had pushed for the role of archipelagic Indonesia acting as a ‘Global Maritime Fulcrum’. This change in Indonesia’s strategic role has been reiterated time and again in his speeches and was a motivating factor when establishing his cabinet structure including the new ministries that were centred upon such a notion. The very concept of a ‘Global Maritime Fulcrum’, while reaffirming Indonesia’s vision of a sovereign and independent archipelagic state, is also quite distinct in comparison with Yudhoyono administration’s foreign policy stance. To what extent will the ‘Global Maritime Fulcrum’ concept determine and shape Indonesia’s foreign policy? How will interpretations of the concept be articulated within the framework of Indonesia’s foreign policy regarding the region? 

We are privileged to welcome Dr Rizal Sukma, Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, to share his thoughts on the ‘Global Maritime Fulcrum’ and its relation to Indonesia’s foreign policy.

About the Speaker:

Dr Rizal Sukma currently holds the position of Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a leading think-tank in Indonesia focusing on a broad range of issues including politics, international affairs, strategy and economics. Dr Rizal Sukma obtained his doctoral degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1997.

In the span of his academic career, Dr Sukma had written numerous academic papers and books covering various topics relating to ASEAN, Southeast Asia, defence and security issues, Indonesia’s defence and foreign policy, military reform and Indonesia’s political development. Aside from his academic role, Dr Sukma has assisted President Joko Widodo in the formulation of Indonesian foreign policy. During the presidential election, Dr Sukma was also involved in the President’s then-campaign team as its chief foreign policy advisor. Dr Sukma also made significant contributions to the formulation of a number of regulations and policies in parliament including the National Defence Bill and the Armed Forces Bill. In addition, he is a member of the regional editorial board for the peer reviewed journal titled Global Change, Peace and Security. He was named as one of the 100 Global Thinkers of 2009 by the highly-regarded Foreign Policy magazine and was the recipient of the prestigious Nakasone Award in 2005.

Organised by the Indonesia Programme