Digital Diplomacy in Indonesia’s Foreign Policy

This book introduces the developments and practices of digital diplomacy in Indonesia’s foreign policy to support diplomatic practice.

The analysis focuses on Indonesia’s digital diplomacy, specifically its implementation by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Missions in selected locations, to achieve the country’s foreign policy objectives. Specific case studies on palm oil, the Rohingya crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic are used to show how Indonesia’s digital diplomacy is executed and performed. Arguing that Indonesian digital diplomacy follows a bottom-up approach model in its development, the author demonstrates that Indonesia’s digital diplomacy is related to state-to-state communication as well as state-to-public communication. It is also utilised for communicating sensitive issues, as Indonesia is still in the first stage of digital diplomacy and is influenced by domestic interests, counternarrative interests, and information dissemination motives.

The book is a valuable addition to the study of digital diplomacy, specifically from the experience and perspective of a middle-power country. It will be of interest to researchers in International Relations, Asian Politics.