Indonesia's Diplomacy and Defense Strategies under Yudhoyono

Abstract

The Yudhoyono administration appeared to rely on two distinct strategies to preserve national and international security. At one level, it relies on multilateral-oriented diplomacy to institutionalize liberal norms and mechanisms-including confidence building, cooperative security and peaceful conflict settlement in order to build a cohesive international order. At another level, the Indonesian government sought to modernize the country's military capabilities and enhance its autonomy for arms. Hence, it expanded the external sources of weapon procurements and rebuild indigenous defense industrial base through offset programs linked to its major arms imports. This articles discusses how, throughout his terms, Yudhoyono sought to combine the two strategic approaches to pursue national interests and ensure international security.