Scholarly Works - Political Science

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14576/35

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Browsing Scholarly Works - Political Science by Author "Moch Faisal Karim"

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    Assessing the China threat : perspectives of university students in Jakarta on the South China Sea dispute and the belt and road Initiative
    (Springer International Publishing, 2024-04-13) Moch Faisal Karim; Annisa Milatia Rahman; Suwarno
    Discussions on the ‘China threat theory’ in Southeast Asia have been reignited by China’s assertive manoeuvres in the South China Sea and its expansive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While substantial research has investigated the views of political elites and policymakers, the perceptions of educated urban youth, particularly regarding China’s geopolitical and economic strategies, remain underexplored. This study centers on Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s most populous nation, to gauge the sentiments of urban youth towards China’s rising influence. Through a survey of 403 university students in Jakarta and its vicinity, we reveal an intensifying negative stance among these young, educated Indonesians corresponding with China’s increased assertiveness and economic pursuits under the BRI. This article underscores the nuanced perspectives of Indonesia’s future leaders, offering a targeted analysis of the attitudes of educated youth in an urban setting towards evolving Sino-Indonesian relations.
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    How regional organisation survives: ASEAN, hedging and international society
    (Informa UK, 2023-05-23) I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana; Moch Faisal Karim
    How can a regional organisation survive in great power contests? This article uses the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the empirical case to address the puzzle. The inquiry is important for three reasons. First, the recent developments in world politics have shown the increasingly penetrative actions of the major powers into regional multilateral organisations. Second, looking at ASEAN, the internal cohesion and solidity of the Association's member countries over the last decade have been challenged by the competition between China and the U.S. Third, the existing literature on ASEAN regional strategic affairs has been focused on hedging as the weaker states’ agential choice to manage their relations with the stronger states. However, there is insufficient explanation of what makes sustainable Southeast Asian states’ hedging possible. Working within the English School theory of IR, this article offers two factors explaining ASEAN’s survival as a regional international society: elite diplomatic culture and great power management. The argument is that ASEAN has developed its ideas and values of intra-regional diplomatic relations and built institutions that can mitigate the damaging consequences of the U.S.–China order contestation. Furthermore, this study promotes an English School perspective on hedging based on the ASEAN case. Arguing against the realist theory of hedging, which focuses on the domestic function of foreign policy strategy, the narrow conception of national interests and the relative distribution of power at the systemic level, hedging works because of viable institutions of the regional international society oriented toward constructing and preserving order.
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    How the state frames its engagement in renminbi internationalization: The case of Indonesia
    (Wiley-Blackwell, 2024-01-14) Mellynia; Moch Faisal Karim
    The rise of China has accelerated Renminbi (RMB) internationalization. While there seems to be global support for RMB internationalization, there is a gap in understanding how developing nations, facing potential domestic skepticism, rationalize and articulate their support. This article discusses narratives that states use to legitimize their support for RMB internationalization. Using the case of Indonesia, this article examines the country's policy responses to China's RMB internationalization strategy. It uncovers that Indonesia frames its engagement with RMB internationalization not merely as an endorsement of China's global ambitions but as a strategic move to hedge against US dollar vulnerability and to foster broader Asian regional integration, particularly in terms of currency cooperation. This article enriches the existing literature, providing a nuanced perspective on how states navigate the complexities of international economic diplomacy, crafting narratives that align with their strategic interests and policy objectives in the evolving landscape of global currency politics.
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    Institutional layering in climate policy: Insights from REDD+ governance in Indonesia
    (Elsevier, 2023-07-22) Silvio Hermawan; Moch Faisal Karim; Lena Rethel
    The transformation of forest governance in low- and middle-income countries has been accelerated due to increased international pressure for climate change adaptation. These efforts, however, have been severely limited by inefficiencies within the forest-related state institutions tasked with addressing governance challenges, such as coordination, mediating political interests, and strategy-setting. This article contributes to the discussion of forest governance by providing an alternative view of such constraints. Using the case of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program in Indonesia, we examine the institutionalization process of the climate agenda in the forestry sector and how it influences forest governance transformation. We argue that the climate agenda has been institutionalized in Indonesia’s forest institutions by embedding climate objectives within the existing institution, a process known as layering. However, such assimilation of climate governance within the existing bureaucracy has arguably limited its transformative capacity. Despite the downsides, institutional layering has proved to be more resilient for long- term climate investment in a non-climate consensus country like Indonesia. We highlight the importance of examining the domestic political setting for explaining the institutionalization process of climate objectives. The interplay between politics and institutions provides a critical lens for understanding limitations to the transformative capacities of forest governance over time.