Discerning Prabowo Subianto's foreign policy: Populist personalisation and problematic changes

Abstract

This article analyses Indonesia's foreign policy under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October 2024. Subsequent events have shown that Subianto is trying to reshape the state's diplomatic agenda and redirect its international engagement. Rather than making meaningful changes, however, he has only deepened the long-standing and complex problems in Indonesia's international relations, including the unanswered question of how Indonesia should respond to the growing great-power competition in the region – China versus the United States. What drives Subianto's actions, and how does it affect Indonesia's foreign policy conduc..