No longer on the sidelines
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2018-08-13
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en
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Indonesia has recently become a claimant state in the South China Sea conflict as it displayed balancing behavior against China regarding the disputed Natuna islands. This study tries to explain Indonesia’s sudden display of balancing behavior by using neoclassical realism, and the balance of threat theory, to create a theoretical model that can be applied to Indonesia’s foreign policy decision-making during president Widodo’s presidency. The model tries to explain foreign policy behavior by assessing both systemic and domestic incentives that influence a state’s foreign policy decision-making process. This study concludes that a change in Indonesia’s foreign policy elites’ threat perception of China’s resources and capabilities can explain Indonesia’s display of balancing behavior. Additionally, the politicization of anti-Chinese sentiments in Indonesia’s domestic politics when president Widodo’s hold on power was declining, can also account for Indonesia’s display of balancing behavior. The combination of these systemic and domestic approaches exhibits that foreign policy decision-making can be influenced by both systemic and domestic incentives.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen