"A Million Friends, Zero Enemy" in the Middle East?

Abstrak

In general, the position of Indonesia within the roadmap for peace in the Middle East has not been highly regarded internationally. However, as a Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia's international appeal derives from its success in managing transition to democracy, the friendly and tolerant form of moderate Islam practiced by the majority of Indonesian Muslims, and the active participation of civil society in the efforts of democratic consolidation. This paper reviews Indonesian foreign policy in the Middle East during the ten years of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's leadership. This paper addresses the following questions: How does Yudhoyono's "a million friends, zero enemy". Policy apply to the Middle East? Is there any domestic factor that shaped Yudhoyono's policy toward the Middle East? Is there any electoral or national interest objective behind the conception Yudhoyono's policy? This paper focuses on Yudhoyono's policy toward Middle Eastern countries before and after the Arab Spring and it will also include a thorough analysis on Yudhoyono administration's stance in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.