Revolution of Awareness for the Basis of Energy Independence
The recent tensions in the Middle East offer valuable lessons. These tensions, rooted in struggles for power and influence concerning the existence of states and nations, seem to recall historical memories of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its various dynamics. Differences in issues, reasons, and interests often perfect the occurrence of tensions that culminate in warfare.
The warfare in the Middle East region between the United States, Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran could occur symmetrically or asymmetrically, depending on how deeply analysts dissect its elements. Naturally, many regret the occurrence of warfare that only escalates global tensions, impacting uncertainty and potential shocks that could reset the global economy.
The narrative elaborated here is not about warfare with all its dynamics, intrigues, strategies, and tactics to achieve victory for the warring parties. The narrative presented focuses on the issue of awareness and independence from one of the warring adversaries between America and its ally Israel, namely the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran).
Through Wikipedia, we can obtain information that Iran has been under US embargo since 1979 to the present. The consequence of the embargo is the closure of freedoms in conducting diplomatic activities and international-scale trade. Not only that, the effects of the embargo can cause economic instability, scarcity of basic goods, inflation, and increased unemployment due to the disruption of supply chains in the embargoed country.
In other words, the effects of the embargo have the potential to plunge a nation-state into the abyss of destruction. The anomaly that occurred in the nation and state called the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran). Iran has been able to stand and build independence with all the resources it possesses.
The landscape with the natural resources it has and the resilient human resources have been able to respond with concrete evidence that attacks by America-Israel against Iran did not go as initially expected. Even many mainstream international media consider that this US-Israel warfare with Iran has the potential to result in a catastrophic failure.
Indonesian Context
Learning from nations that have successfully built independence is certainly acceptable if it is good. South Korea, after the Korean War (1950s), this country was once one of the poorest in the world. They rose through high discipline, education, and focus on exports. Japan, rising from total destruction after World War II, focused on technology and robotics, making it an advanced country.
Germany experienced an economic revival after World War II known as the Wirtschaftswunder, driven by strong economic policies and quality education. Even China has now transformed into a new world economic giant challenging US hegemony, starting with economic reforms implemented since 1978.
Building independence in the Indonesian context indeed requires collective commitment and tough leadership. Not only that, support from all elements becomes the key in accompanying the independence of a nation and state.
The examples of the countries above serve as their own examples for Indonesia, which has a very vast landscape and abundant natural resources. Total area (land + sea) around 5,180,053 to 8.3 million km², land area around 1,919,440 to 2.01 million square kilometres, sea area covering territorial waters, additional zones, and EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), number of islands around 17,499 to 17,508 is potential that should be grateful for.
Not only that, the expansive landscape rich with its natural resources both in the earth’s belly (oil, natural gas, mines and other minerals), fertile soil, seas rich in marine habitats, and airspace rich with heat and wind actually become potentials that must be managed heterogeneously, diversely, and specifically as well as in accordance with environmental conditions.
Modelling the management of the landscape along with existing resources is certainly done as much as possible for the welfare of the inhabitants fairly. This means not necessarily using homogeneous modelling for natural conditions that have varying extents and characteristics, such as staple food not having to be rice (because there is wheat, sago, cassava and other crops), energy not having to be with petroleum (because there is geothermal energy, hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants and other new renewable energy).
The condition of Indonesia’s landscape with all its contained wealth becomes a strength for its regions to become independent with all their characteristics. Here, awareness of knowing the potential of the landscape with all its wealth becomes important. Both individual awareness and social awareness are integrated parts. In that context, what is needed is good awareness to manage environmental diversity into welfare for nature.
Building a Revolution of Awareness
The natural wealth with all its characteristics belonging to Indonesia is a gift from God that will be accounted for by our descendants later. Maintaining the sustainability of the entire nature and its contents is the responsibility of every human born on Indonesian soil.
The wealth that is so abundant seems sufficient to make Indonesia a self-reliant nation and state. Diversification of food, energy, technology and cultural diversity necessitates being built from individual and social awareness with guidance from strong leadership.
Leadership with awareness needs to be born from all lines of bureaucracy that currently face dead ends. The condition of the supply chain inf