The Indonesian president’s recent travels highlight a constant: when Jokowi does engage with the wider world, it is usually because he sees a possible benefit for the economy back home
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskAdmittedly, the foreign-policy stakes are higher for Jokowi than usual. In November Indonesia hosts this year’s20 summit. Russia is a member of the group, but given Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Western members say they will boycott the summit if the Russian president shows up. That would be galling for Indonesia.
In contrast, Mr Putin seemed pleased to see Jokowi, calling Indonesia one of Russia’s “friendly countries”. He promised to prioritise Indonesia in shipments of fertiliser. He proposed that Russia’s state railway invest in the grand scheme of, Nusantara, that Jokowi dreams of carving out of the jungle in Borneo. And as if to underscore Jokowi’s efforts as a go-between, Mr Putin even appeared to promise to lift Russia’s maritime blockade of Ukrainian wheat exports .
In this, Jokowi is different from many leaders of countries of similar size and standing, who see national interest in broader terms of regional leadership and other measures of prestige. Indeed, when Jokowi came to office he promised a “down-to-earth diplomacy”, instructing officials to focus on the everyday needs of Indonesians ahead of abstract principles or even Indonesia’s international profile, points out Aaron Connelly of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.
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