Browsing by Author "Moch Faisal Karim"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Adoption of the palm oil moratorium policy in response to the EU’s red II : Indonesia case
    (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, 2024) Wahyu Wulandari; Testriono; Moch Faisal Karim
    How did RED II push the Indonesian government to implement a moratorium policy for the palm oil industry? This research investigate how RED II regulations pressured the Indonesian government to adopt the palm oil moratorium policy and why this happened. RED II, or Renewable Energy Directive II, is a continuation policy from the previous RED implemented by the European Union to regulate the use of renewable energy and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. RED II is considered stricter, especially in regulating the use of biofuels derived from palm oil, and the moratorium policy is one of the efforts made by Indonesia after facing various regulations that affect the presence of palm oil in Indonesia. This research uses a qualitative approach to explore the factors that influence Indonesia's decision making in responding to global demands for the sustainability of the palm oil industry, especially after the emergence of RED II. By using Spalding's policy adoption approach, the research results show that the adoption of the moratorium policy in Indonesia is influenced by significant pressure from the European Union, especially the RED II policy, which limits palm oil imports because of its impact on deforestation and climate change. However, these factors are not enough to explain how Indonesia adopted the moratorium and why it happened, thus there are internal factors, namely related to socio-economic conditions and bureaucratic aspects in Indonesia which encourage massive expansion of oil palm plantations. Specifically, the availability of large areas of land encourages continuous expansion because it provides greater economic opportunities. On the bureaucratic side, it refers to the internal dynamics where the moratorium emerged as a response to the government's difficulties and challenges in overcoming the oil palm issue. These internal dynamics can be seen from the overlapping regulations and agencies which are also influenced by the decentralized system in Indonesia and makes coordination between central and regional institutions difficult. This research concludes that these external and internal factors influence each other, thus encouraging Indonesia to adopt a moratorium policy as an effort to overcome difficulties and challenges regarding the sustainability issues of the palm oil industry.
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    ItemControlled Access
    Altruism or status-seeking: the global south and Indonesia's humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
    (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, 2024) Mirzayi, Qudrat; Nia Deliana; Moch Faisal Karim
    Humanitarianism and humanitarian aid are noble concepts and practices, but sometimes, they can be a controversial method of statecraft, employed solely for a country’s own national and international strategic interests. This issue is considerable in Global South countries, which, despite their low- and middle-income economic capacity (mostly not all), can still provide international humanitarian aid — as showcased by Indonesia’s regular provision of international aid to Afghanistan since 2001. Based on this assumption, this research seeks to understand whether Indonesian humanitarian aid to Afghanistan an altruism-based foreign policy is or prompted by a statecraft status-seeking strategy formed to shape and elevate Indonesia’s status as an emerging middle power in the Global South humanitarian index. The author employed a qualitative method to achieve this objective, relying on the process tracing technique for data analysis. By consulting numerous foreign affairs reports, index records, archival sources, and interviews, this research found that altruism isthe strongest motivation driving Indonesia’s humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Strategic interests, such as status-seeking, are also considerable factors, but most indicators showed that altruism, which is rooted in religious beliefs and the country’s Constitution, is the most significant reason for the aid. This is followed by Indonesia’s religious and historical solidarity with Afghanistan.
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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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    Examining the dynamic of Indonesia's transnational networks in advocating Indonesia-Israel relations
    (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, 2024) Ronaa Nisa’us Sholikhah; Moch Faisal Karim; Philips Jusario Vermonte
    Why do some transnational actors create and engage in networks that advocate for Indonesia-Israel relations? Previous literature emphasizes that the role of transnational advocacy networks is to legitimize the interests of issues that arise in society. However, transnational actors are indirectly used by third countries to legitimize the relationship between two countries that do not have diplomatic relations. This thesis uses process tracing to see how the dynamics of the role of actors involved in advocating IndonesiaIsrael relations. The reason they are involved in the network is because of the common interests with the third country. In this case, there are three important networks in the advocacy: business, minority groups, and Islamic-based. All three are formed by common norms and goals so they have different legitimacy. There are two framings that they use as advocacy strategies, namely alignment and resonance. This strategy takes the form of groups and the use of social media as an alternative to legitimacy. The three networks have different consequences for the community and the government. Legitimacy, which is the foundation of advocacy, does not necessarily have a positive impact on policy change or public opinion. Minority groups are more sustainable due to the strength of connections in the advocacy process than other networks. This is because business networks are more concerned with maintaining relationships for profit. Meanwhile, Islamic-based groups are more fragile because members in the network are individuals and not institutions or organizations.
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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.