RI diplomacy hangs high hopes on ICWA

RI diplomacy hangs high hopes on ICWA

By Aleksius Jemadu

BANDUNG (JP): Those who have been longing for a breakthrough
in Indonesian diplomacy must welcome the establishment of the
Indonesian Council on World Affairs (ICWA) with great enthusiasm.

The council, which was inaugurated by Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ali Alatas recently, is an independent body dedicated to
the promotion of international cooperation and functions as a
forum of discussion.

The fact that the council comprises scholars, researchers,
experts and diplomats should make it resourceful enough to
spearhead a breakthrough in Indonesian diplomacy.

With the growing importance of such issues as trade
liberalization, human rights, democratization, the environment
and labor conditions in post-cold war global politics, Indonesian
foreign policy is going to face a tremendous challenge. There is,
therefore, a growing need to broaden the foundations of foreign
policy making.

Such broadening would necessitate congruence between
consistent efforts to respect human rights at home and Indonesian
diplomacy abroad. The compatibility of our governing system and
universally-accepted norms such as respect for human rights,
social justice and democracy can also increase our chance to get
more international support for becoming a permanent member of the
UN Security Council.

While Western leaders cannot dictate to us on how to handle
our human rights problem, it is beyond our capacity to prevent
them from questioning our human rights record. We cannot avoid
the fact that in the eyes of western leaders human rights
violations have become a universal concern. Alas, such concern
knows no national boundaries.

There is good reason to suggest that Indonesian diplomacy
should be made more effective in communicating national interests
to the international community. New strategies and tactics should
be invented so that we might be able to achieve our policy goals
in global competition with other nations.

However, some political analysts are concerned with the fact
that up to now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not developed
a clear and comprehensive strategy to deal with structural
changes in the global political economy. Such strategy can only
be developed if the ministry is willing to accept policy input
from other government and private institutions.

The incorporation of other sources of policy input into the
process of foreign policy-making could improve the convergence
between foreign and domestic policies.

Policy inconsistencies which are caused by a contradiction
between what we announce abroad and what we do at home are
detrimental to the credibility of our diplomacy. The ministry
alone may not be able to face the challenges of Indonesian
diplomacy. It has to work together with other government agencies
and private institutions.

Dealing with the legal status of Indonesian workers abroad is
a case in point. How can our diplomats defend the case of the
workers in a foreign country if they have no accurate information
regarding the identity of these people? Can the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs be held responsible for the bad policies of other
ministries?

There are at least two important policy agendas which need to
be worked out through our global diplomacy. The first is
concerned with the creation of a conducive global and regional
environment in which the pursuit of our economic goals might be
enhanced.

Included in this agenda is the promotion of good relations
with our major trading partners. It is equally important to
maintain our credibility in the eyes of countries from which a
major proportion of our foreign investment originates.

Of particular importance in this regard is our sensitivity to
the fact that we are being challenged by the coexistence of a
territorially-based political system with an economic system that
is increasingly global in scope.

In order to accomplish this agenda Indonesian diplomats need
to increase their skill and professionalism in conducting trade
and investment negotiations within the framework of global
economic regimes such as the World Trade Organization (WTO).

It is high time now for Indonesian diplomats to improve their
knowledge of global business diplomacy. They need to move beyond
the traditional way of conducting negotiations by adopting new
strategies from private international corporations.

The second policy agenda is how to convince the international
community, especially western countries, that the present
political system will lead us to more democratic governance in
the future.

It should be noted that over the last two years Indonesia has
become a focus of international attention due to a spate of
incidents across the country related to political violence.
Frequent political violence is a sign of the political system's
incapacity to manage conflict.

Consistent efforts to realize political openness and good
governance is a necessary step towards a democratic future.
Indonesian diplomats may use concrete evidence of political
reforms at home to substantiate their arguments defending
government policies abroad.

The establishment of ICWA is undoubtedly a good step toward
progressive diplomacy. There is no doubt about the quality and
credibility of its executive members. Curiously enough, however,
why has it failed to incorporate businesspeople into its
executive body? Needless to say, their input would be essential
for foreign policy makers in dealing with global economic
challenges.

The writer is director of Parahyangan Center for International
Studies at UNPAR, Bandung. He is also a lecturer of the School of
International Relations at the same university.