SMALL NAVY, BIG RESPONSIBILITIES: THE STRUGGLES OF BUILDING INDONESIA’S NAVAL POWER
From its inception, the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) has struggled to reconcile its relatively small capabilities with its large responsibilities. This paper argues that significant reforms need to be carried out in order to improve the overall capacity of the TNI-AL and build Indonesian naval power. The Global Maritime Fulcrum vision provides this opportunity, however, it must be sustained by the political leadership in the long term as developing naval power does not happen overnight. To that end, this paper discusses four chief problems that the TNI-AL continues to face today, namely (1) a lack of a comprehensive maritime outlook, (2) stringent budgetary conditions, (3) a continental-oriented command and control structure, and (4) “turf wars” between related agencies in the government. This paper also briefly contrasts and compares Indonesia’s experience with China’s experience with naval development under Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. Although both countries are arguably different from one another in one way or the other, this exercise serves to highlight three lessons that may be applicable for Indonesia in managing its naval development and understanding the complexity in building its naval power. These lessons include (1) a need for strong and sustained political will in developing naval power and (2) having a clear strategic objective for naval development, and (3) a significant amount of resources are required to build naval power.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 1, No 2 (2017): March - August 2017
Copyright (c) 2018 AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
ESCALATION AND DE-ESCALATION OF WAR OBJECTIVES: THE ANALYSIS OF ASYMMETRIC WAR IN LEBANON (2006)
This article tries to enrich the conceptual debate and discussions among international relations and strategic studies scholars regarding explanations of weak actor‟s victories against strong actors in military conflicts. For longtime strategic studies scholars have tried to find the most relevant and valid explanations on the reasoning on how a weak actor can achieve victory in asymmetric conflict despite overwhelming inferiority in terms of power. Previous strategic studies scholars have proposed competing hypothesis ranging from regime type, balance of interests to the types of strategic interaction between the two actors. In this essay, the author would like to underline the significance of fog of war or uncertainty as a significant contributing factor during strategic interactions at tactical-operational towards shaping either a favorable or vice-versa unfavorable war conditions for the weak actor to modify pre-war political objectives of the asymmetric conflict. In this analysis, the 2006 Lebanon War is taken as a case study of the asymmetric conflict between the strong and weak actor. The result strengthened the notion that there is no single variable but a multitude of variable which explains asymmetric conflict outcomes.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 1, No 1 (2016): September 2016 - February 2017
Copyright (c) 2016 AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
OPTIMIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF QUANTUM LEAP PROGRAM TO FACE THE CHALLENGES OF ASEAN OPEN SKY POLICY: LESSONS FROM GARUDA INDONESIA
By the implementation of ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, all ASEAN member countriesare preparing themselves to survive in the economic competition including the aviation sector through ASEAN Open Skies Policy 2015. As the Indonesian national carrier, Garuda Indonesia has significant efforts in various sectors to support Indonesia in ASEAN Open Skies Policy 2015. The focus of this research is to critically examine the implementation of Garuda Indonesia’s Quantum Leap Program in supporting Indonesia in the implementation of ASEAN Open Sky Policy in 2015. This research also refers to several concepts such as regionalism and cultural diplomacy to explain the phenomenon of ASEAN Economic Community in which Garuda Indonesia displays its roles to promote Indonesia to foreign public.
The Role of Hollywood Figures in Propagating Transnational Movement: Case Study of #MeToo in South Korea (2017– 2019)
Celebrities, Transnational Movement, #MeToo, Pop Culture
Sexual misconduct in South Korea occurs in various forms and in various sectors since a long time due to the social construction of the local citizen. Series of sexual harassment cases that take place in the United States’ film industry which made Hollywood figures raise their voices succeeded in forming a transnational movement called the #MeToo Movement. This article will explain the role of celebrities in pioneering the transnational movement with a case study of the #MeToo movement in South Korea in the period 2017 – 2019. In investigating the role of Hollywood figures, the author uses qualitative research methods referring to the actions of Hollywood figures correlated with the theory of Transnational Advocacy Network and Popular Culture. This research discovers that public figures have motivated victims of sexual harassment to speak up which attracted global attention and ultimately succeeded in making legislative reforms in various countries.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 6, No 2 (2022)
Copyright (c) 2022 AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
COVID-19 AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: UNDERSTANDING (INTER)DEPENDENCY THROUGH VACCINES PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION
Covid-19, dependency, interdependence, globalization, vaccines, international politics
Covid-19 pandemic has opened a new chapter in the International Relations sphere. Its spread is accelerated by the advancement of technology that only globalization has made possible. Among several measures to survive, vaccines are perceived as critical and controversial. The objective of this research is to grasp a better understanding from different perspectives of stakeholders in International Relations, regarding interdependence between developing and developed countries in the international system, using the vaccine. In doing so, this research also analyzes the dynamics in the ASEAN context. Neoliberalism serves as the ore theoretical framework alongside the concepts of interdependence and international cooperation. This research is a qualitative one, using mostly primary data that is gathered from an interview with academicians, researchers, government officials, and students – and secondary data. The results show that the ongoing pandemic has directed developing countries to depend on developed countries with capabilities in vaccines production, including ASEAN member states. The fact that vaccines are even used as a political instrument is found ill-fitted. However, there is still confident that this dependency will move to interdependency once developing countries have found effective strategies in coping with the situation – and it has started.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 6, No 1 (2022)
Qualitative research, descriptive, primary data (interviews)
Humanitarian crisis due to climate and security challenges in the Far North Cameroon: how the international assistance is organised?
International Relations, Humanitarian Cooperation
Humanitarian assistance, Crisis, Climate change, Far North Cameroon, International cooperation
Humanitarian needs in Cameroon have been growing steadily over the years due to the multiple crises the country has been going through. This study aims to analyse the international assistance provided to the populations of Far North Cameroon who are facing security and climate challenges. The study was implemented through the study of pertinent documentation (articles, newspapers, books and reports) related to the issue. Our analysis shows that, the humanitarian needs are critical in the Far North of Cameroon. Indeed, about 33% of households are food insecure, including 3% in a situation of severe food insecurity, 6% of children are affected by Global Acute Malnutrition. Following this situation, only 26% of the requirement in was funded for the year 2020, making Cameroon to be ranked as the world’s most neglected displacement crises by the international community. These funds were received from both foreign countries and private donors from all the continents. The international humanitarian assistance is coordinated by OCHA in collaboration with Cameroon governmental partners, implementing and operational partners and United Nations agencies.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 5, No 1 (2021)
Copyright (c) 2021 AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
Analysis of pertinent documentation (articles, newspapers, books and reports) related to the issue
Feasibility of Democratisation in Sub-Sahara Africa, A study of South Africa after Apartheid system
Political Science and Public Administration
Democratisation, legitimacy, competition, political party, apartheid, and electoral system
This article explores the intellectual ideas of Ake on feasibility of democratisation in Africa. Democratisation is feasible as government focuses on the real people irrespective of racial affinity. In the past, the apartheid government in South Africa was adjudged as obstacle to democracy because majority black were marginalised in the representative democracy. The African National Congress (ANC) developed a pressure against undemocratic laws of apartheid rule. This process translated to Trust Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as a driving-mechanism towards peaceful negotiation in the country. While this is true, this article argues that transition to democratisation in 1994 by founding elections marked the beginning of a representative government. This article contests the current practice of democratisation by political disconnection of the popular party after the death of President Nelson Mandela. Finally, it is argued that feasibility of democracy is economic empowerment of the people but was trivialised in the country. The article further states the characters which marred democratisation process after the post-third wave. The article submits that there was adequate oversight functions which checked the excess power of executive arm and the others. This de facto is justified by the action of opposition parties such as EFF, DA, and IFP in the Freedom House. As a result, triangulation politics is recommended as mechanism which can promote national unity in the country.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 4, No 2 (2020)
ASEAN 2025: Toward Increased Investment in the Southeast Asia Region?
One of the major targets of the ASEAN Economic Community is to achieve a higher influx of foreign direct investments (FDI) into the region. By analyzing recent economic developments and weighing opportunities and challenges, this paper argues that there are good chances for a higher level of FDI in ASEAN until 2025. There are, however, several hindrances including the resistance of the ASEAN member states to accept further economic integration and a missing common regulatory framework, which will make it difficult to receive significantly more FDI in the near future.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 4, No 1 (2020)
Copyright (c) 2020 AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
Border Security Problems in the Waters of the Natuna Islands: Between National Boundaries and Illegal Fishing
Natuna or better known as the Natuna Islands is one of the border areas in Indonesia that has complex problems. As a cluster of islands bordering Indonesia with Malaysia and Vietnam, the Natuna Islands are also located in the South China Sea region, which is a regional dispute hot spot in East Asia. This paper will discuss the concept of border security and border security issues in the waters of the Natuna Islands. In this paper, the authors argue that the problem of the Indonesian EEZ maritime boundary in the Natuna Islands territorial waters with Malaysia and Vietnam needs to be immediately resolved, because in addition to sovereignty, the precision of the EEZ boundary with neighboring countries will be related to the management of natural resources contained in the particular territorial waters. This condition is increasingly complicated when China with its nine-dashed line has raised problems of overlapping claims in the Natuna waters. In addition, the obscurity of maritime boundaries is used by certain parties to carry out illegal fishing in the maritime areas currently being disputed by the neighboring countries.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 3, No 2 (2019): March - August 2019
Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta
Copyright (c) 2019 AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
Indonesia Foreign Policy Update: rough waves ahead in the Indo-Pacific
Situated in a highly dynamic region at the crossroads of the Pacific and Indian Ocean, Indonesia’s foreign policy has long been influenced by both international and domestic factors. In light of these changes, we firstly look at the development of Indonesia’s external environment. This discussion centres on the dynamics in the Indo-Pacific between the major powers, specifically their outlooks, approaches, and interests in the region. Next, we examine Indonesia’s domestic dynamics, particularly those related to the progress of the development of the Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF). In this section, we will discuss the process of naval modernization and an update of national political dynamics as the 2019 Presidential Elections loom closer. Finally, we examine the progress of Indonesia’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations; Vol 3, No 1 (2018): September 2018 - February 2019