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

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 conduct and institutions? This article addresses these puzzles by employing the concept of populist personalisation of foreign policy. It argues that Subianto, a populist, centralises decision-making in his own hands and implements policies to serve his domestically informed agendas. Consequently, the foreign policy process has been de-institutionalised, resulting in problematic changes. While offering potential benefits, this personalistic approach has sought to redefine the established pillars of Indonesia's international relations.