Indonesian Humanitarianism: Foundations, Characteristics and Contributions
| DOI | 10.1177/20578911211058144 |
| Date | 01 December 2021 |
| Published date | 01 December 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Special issue articles |
Indonesian Humanitarianism:
Foundations, Characteristics
and Contributions
Keoni Marzuki
Associate Research Fellow, Indonesia Programme, Institute of
Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Tiola
Independent Researcher
Abstract
In the past two decades, Indonesia has become more active in humanitarian affairs, despite a
preoccupation with natural hazards and political hurdles at home. In so doing, the
Indonesian government employs “humanitarianism as diplomacy”—humanitarian action to
promote its national interests —instead of deploying its efforts under a narrow understanding
of humanitarianism. This is demonstrated in the country’s humanitarian foci, which form part of
its leadership ambitions in resolving crises in ASEAN and in supporting Muslim communities
globally. As such, the Indonesian government’s contributions are more pronounced in cases
which promote Indonesia’s regional and global leadership, such as in the Rohingya crisis and
the Palestine issue. Indonesia also actively participates in disaster mitigation efforts in disas-
ter-prone countries, which expands its international presence beyond ASEAN and the
Middle East. This article identifies the foundation of Indonesia’s humanitarianism and its key dri-
vers, humanitarian contributions, and captures the involvement of state and non-state actors in
such engagements.
Keywords
Indonesia, humanitarianism, natural hazards, ASEAN, Muslim solidarity, Middle East
Corresponding author:
Keoni Marzuki, Associate Research Fellow,Indonesia Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Office mailing address: 50 Nanyang Avenue,
Block S4, Level B3, Nanyang Technological University 639798, Singapore.
Email: iskeoni@ntu.edu.sg
Research article
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2021, Vol. 6(4) 330–344
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/20578911211058144
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