Emirza Adi Syailendra is a Associate Research Fellow at the Indonesia Programme of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. His research covers the issues of the nexus of domestic politics and foreign policy (focusing on Indonesia and China), civil – military relations in Indonesia, strategic culture of the Indonesian military, and democracy and current affairs in Indonesia. Recent and forthcoming refereed publications include articles in Asian Security and INDONESIA (Cornell University’s Southeast Asia Program). His public affairs commentaries have appeared in many international outlets including Foreign Affairs, China People’s Daily, the Diplomat, Inside Indonesia, and the RSIS Commentary series. He obtained his Master Degree in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU in 2014. He was studying fulltime under the Research Analyst Award from RSIS, while working as a programme associate for two years (2012-2014).

He is currently working on various projects related to Indonesia’s strategic culture with the aim of examining the impact of the memory of the early formation of Indonesia as a state with regards to force and diplomacy in the post-Suharto era. This research project aims to study Indonesia’s approach to maintaining its sovereignty and national security. It is interested primarily in understanding Indonesia’s national style or variance of strategy in managing its forces to prepare for conflict and to anticipate future threats. That being said, this project seeks to explain how policymakers in Indonesia appreciate the security environment, and prescribe the most effective policy remedies to specific threats. This project also places great interest in capturing the diversity of views among different security agencies in Indonesia, particularly the Indonesian army, navy, air force, and police. It also aims to capture the interplay of inter-service cooperation and competition in post-Reformasi Indonesia.

• Indonesia’s Foreign Policy
• Indonesia’s Defence Policy
• Indonesia’s Politics
• Southeast Asia and ASEAN
• International Relations in East Asia

Monographs

• Pemuda Rising Why Indonesia Should Pay Attention to its Youth

  28 April, 2014

Working Papers

• WP269 | Old Society, New Youths: An Overview of Youth and Popular Participation in Post-Reformasi Indonesia

  05 March, 2014

Commentaries

• Regional Order: Indonesia’s Shifting Redlines?

  17 December, 2021

• CO18129 | Indonesian Presidential Election 2019 - The Coming Divisive Contest: Jokowi vs. Prabowo

  01 August, 2018

• CO18087 | Shifting Sands: POLRI-TNI Ties in Counterterrorism

  25 May, 2018

• CO17168 | China in Indonesia’s Foreign Policy: Maintaining a Nonbalancing Posture

  14 September, 2017

• CO17105 | 2017 Jakarta’s Election and Participatory Politics - What’s Gone Wrong with Indonesia’s Democracy?

  26 May, 2017

• CO17086 | 2017 Jakarta’s Election and Indonesia’s Democracy - Ascent of a Javanese King: President Jokowi’s Leadership Style

  05 May, 2017

• CO17073 | 2017 Jakarta Election and Indonesia’s Democracy - Jakarta’s Contentious Election: What Anies Baswedan’s Victory Means

  20 April, 2017

• CO16212 | Two Years Under Jokowi - Jokowi: King or Puppet?

  19 August, 2016

• CO16209 | Two Years Under Jokowi - President’s Special Relationship with Luhut Panjaitan

  18 August, 2016

• CO16208 | Two Years Under Jokowi - Jokowi’s Power Consolidation: At What Cost?

  17 August, 2016

• CO16003 | Jokowi and Najib: Can They Bring Indonesia and Malaysia Closer?

  13 January, 2016

• CO15269 | Indonesia’s High Speed Rail: A China-Japan Scramble for Influence?

  09 December, 2015

• CO15110 | Papua Region under Jokowi: New President, New Strategies

  07 May, 2015

• CO15005 | Consensual Leadership in ASEAN: Will It Endure Under Jokowi?

  07 January, 2015

• CO14207 | Jokowi’s “Look West” Foreign Policy: Expanding Indonesia’s Sphere of Influence?

  21 October, 2014

• CO14113 | Indonesia’s Post-Election Foreign Policy: New Directions?

  13 June, 2014

• CO13019 | Indonesia's Foreign Policy Outlook: Challenges of 2013 and Beyond

  04 February, 2013

• CO12199 | Indonesia's Rise & Its Regional Implications

  23 October, 2012

IDSS Paper

• IP21007 | The Unspoken: Indonesia Navigates Great Power Rivalry

  22 October, 2021

Journal Articles

• “Sebastian, Leonard C., Emirza Adi Syailendra, and Keoni Indrabayu Marzuki, “Civil-Military Relations in Indonesia after the Reform Period”, Asia Policy, Vol. 13, No. 3 (2018): pp. 49-78” (with Leonard C. Sebastian, and Keoni Indrabayu Marzuki) in Asia Policy, Vol. 13, No 3 , 2018. pp. 49-78
• “Sebastian, Leonard C., and Emirza Adi Syailendra, “Cooperation amidst Distrust in Indonesia’s Foreign Policy Behaviour towards China: A Neoclassical Realist Approach”, China International Strategy Review 2017, Institute of International and Strategic Studies, School of International Studies, Peking University (January 2018): pp. 229-256 (English edition)” (with Leonard C. Sebastian) in China International Strategy Review 2017, -, -, 2018. 48-55
• "Indonesia and South Korea: Asia's two middle powers," Strategic Review Vol. 5: 3, pp. 58-65

Op-Eds

• Indonesia’s Prabowo Tests the Water in Singapore
• Jokowi and Indonesian Democracy
• Consensual Leadership in ASEAN: Will It Endure Under Jokowi?
• Jokowi’s Visions of Indonesia as the Global Maritime Nexus: Facing Challenges from the Pacific and Indian Oceans