Prabowo's One-Man Diplomacy Erodes Indonesia's Standing — SkimNews
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- Prabowo Subianto runs Indonesian foreign policy through his personal travel schedule and relationships rather than through the Foreign Ministry's institutional channels, with analysts labeling the approach "personalistic"
- Since taking office, Prabowo has met Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin repeatedly, pushed Indonesia into BRICS, signed a sweeping trade and security framework with Washington, and offered mediation from Gaza to the aftermath of Iran strikes
- The approach carries three stated costs: credibility losses from last-minute itinerary changes that disrupt host governments; coordination problems reconciling deepened US ties, expanded China cooperation, BRICS membership, and Middle East mediation; and institutional atrophy of the Foreign Ministry
- Indonesia's foreign-policy law mandates nonalignment, and critics have flagged the awkwardness of "alliance" language surfacing in agreements with Washington
- Foreign Minister Sugiono and career diplomats at Pejambon handle follow-up work while direction and timing are set by Prabowo, often on short notice
Why it matters: Indonesia's nearly 280 million people depend on a foreign policy that survives beyond one presidency; under Prabowo's personalistic model the Foreign Ministry is reduced to a cleanup crew, leaving his successor with weaker institutions and a reputation among host capitals that the article argues will be hard to shed.
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