Leadership and Dependency: Indonesia’s Regional and Global Role, 1945–75¹

Abstract

Despite turbulent times, Indonesia has been a rising power in Asia since independence, and has become increasingly prominent on the world stage. Many scholars have highlighted Indonesia’s large population and its abundance of strategic resources—which was the focus of government, business and the military—as the reason for its prominence in regional and global affairs.² Some have also emphasized Indonesia’s strong sense of nationalism as a legacy of its long struggle for independence from Dutch colonialism,³ while others have stressed the importance of international relations during the Cold War.⁴ Stemming from these three perspectives are considerations of the extent to which Indonesian leaders have influenced their nation’s future, and the degree to which outside powers have shaped the development of Southeast Asia’s most populous country. Indeed, primary source material shows that Indonesia’s regional position has been the result of various factors. Internationally and historically, Indonesia has been strategically and economically significant: the close ties between the Suharto government and consecutive United States (US) governments reveal the increasing influence that Jakarta is capable of exerting globally, despite its dependence on foreign support.

The author wishes to thank Dr Chad Mitcham and Dr Allison Mitcham for providing advice and reading many draft versions of this chapter.