The Role of Community in Disaster Mitigation: The Case of Umbulharjo Merapi Monitoring Community on Merapi Mount, Indonesia

Natural disasters are events that often occur in Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia. As it is situated in the ring of fire area and has faced different kinds of natural disaster events, Indonesia has their own experiences in disaster risk management, one of which is the involvement and active role of the community. Therefore, this study will analyze the important role of Umbulharjo Merapi Monitoring Community (UMMC)––a community that focuses on monitoring Mount Merapi in the Special Region of Yogyakarta––that is committed as the provider of information regarding Merapi condition through a direct monitor and plays the role in initiating programs that focus on disaster mitigation. The results of this study aims to show that the role of the community is necessarily required in the mitigation program so that it can be a reference for disaster management models in disaster-prone areas in the Southeast Asian region. This study used a qualitative descriptive method and the data were obtained through an in-depth interview process involving community members, academicians and the government of Sleman Regency. The results of the study revealed that the disaster mitigation carried out by UMMC consisted of four stages that are: identification, analysis, treating, monitoring and evaluation. Through these four stages, several programs for disaster risk reduction are arranged, such as counselling, training, collaborating with stakeholders, and mentoring.

‘Velvet Triangles’ in Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Indonesia

Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS Agenda) has been recognized as a landmark in the history of global efforts to maintain international peace and security by centering women on the agenda. Indonesia has shown its commitment to WPS Agenda by adopting its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2014. On top of that, Indonesia is also committed to increasing the number of female peacekeepers in the UN peacekeeping missions. This research aims to examine how WPS Agenda as a global normative framework diffuses and is internalized in Indonesia. This research employed a feminist institutionalist approach and a qualitative method. Using the concept of ‘velvet triangles’ by Alison Woodward (2004) as our theoretical framework, we argue that the triangular network of velvet actors—consisting of feminist bureaucrats, civil society organizations’ activists, and gender experts—plays a critical role in making a considerably important space for the diffusion of WPS Agenda within Indonesia’s domestic politics and foreign policy debates. In concluding the article, we propose two considerations taking into account the formal and informal arrangement of the velvet constellation and the transnational scale of the network’s actors to provide a more nuanced conceptual definition of velvet triangles.

Analysis of Indonesian Tourism Potentials Through the Sustainable Tourism Perspective in the New Normal Era

This article is part of an international relations study conducted by the authors. This study aims to illustrate the extent to which Indonesia can get out of the “entanglement” of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the tourism industry sector. Another purpose of writing this article is to analyze the Indonesian government’s role in using the term “new normal” and its relation to sustainable tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended. Tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic is the focus of the discussion of this article because it is one of the industries most harmed by this pandemic. Globally the loss of world tourism reaches US$22 billion. This figure will continue to increase as long as this pandemic cannot be controlled through vaccines and drugs. No exception for Indonesia, which lost the country’s original income from this sector, reaching tens of trillions of rupiah in just four months since WHO announced COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The new normal situation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity as well as a challenge for world tourism in general and Indonesian tourism in particular. The change in lifestyle and habits of the community in traveling directly or indirectly has “hit” this industry very hard. Undeniably, reactivating tourism industry activities do have considerable risk, but on the other hand, many sectors depend on this industry. Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment Sustainability (CHSE) strategy conducted by the Indonesian government is one of the efforts in re-mobilizing Indonesia’s tourism sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the opportunity to apply three main principles of sustainable tourism in the new normal era, namely involving the social sector in policy engagement, maintaining the sustainability of natural resources and making sustainable development a synonym of economic growth.

Twitter Diplomacy @Kemlu_RI: A Case Study of Bali Democracy Forum 2019

Following the increasing use of social media, particularly Twitter, the Indonesian MOFA made an official Twitter account @Kemlu_RI for disseminating information. The paper aims to to analyse the trend of tweeting at the official Twitter account of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), @Kemlu_RI. This research used a qualitative approach through online media, Twitter. Data was obtained through observation of the conversation trend on Twitter by monitoring @Kemlu_RI account. This research focussed on the use of hashtag #BDF2019. Using ‘Drone Emprit Academic’ (DEA), this research collected data on five days of Twitter conversation. The DEA analysis resulted in 1.088 conversations. Rather than only disseminating information, the use of DEA for analysing #BDF2019 at @Kemlu_RI turned out to produce more findings. The result of this study shows that the DEA usage gives more benefits to Indonesian digital diplomacy, such as top hashtag, top influencer, social network analyses, and most engaged users, rather than just general dissemination of information of the BDF 2019. Therefore, the use of the DEA is very significant for resulting in more accurate data for Indonesian MOFA in order to manage a better strategy for using Twitter in its future diplomatic agenda.

The Implementation of South Sumatera Industrial Downstreaming for Rubber Products Strategic Policy with The Establishment of Tanjung Api-Api Special Economic Zone

The downstreaming option to provide added value to local industries, especially developing countries in the Global Value Chain (GVC) era as a way to increase competitiveness and seizing global markets, is inevitable. This paper focus on the analysis of the developments and limitations faced in the implementation of the Strategic Policy of South Sumatra Rubber Product Downstreaming with the establishment of Tanjung Api-Api Special Economic Zone. At the regional level, the idea of developing SEZ (Special Economic Zone) aims to prepare investment institutions in improving the investment climate in Southeast Asia region and manifesting ASEAN as a single market and production base as a component of the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community. This study used an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research method, where the depth and context of the data are important. Data from this study consisted of secondary data through literature study and analysis of documents and primary data obtained from interview as well as through field research. The author concludes that the industrial downstreaming of rubber products in South Sumatra has not been maximally carried out, it was still segmented, it was not conducted linearly, both production and coordination between the central government and the locals. Tanjung Api-Api SEZ as a hub for international trade and industrialization of rubber commodities also encountered various obstacles including infrastructure (deep sea port) at this point was inadequate, certainty of fiscal incentives for companies relocating to SEZ and licensing.

The Communication Strategy of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) in the 2019 General Election Political Campaign in New Zealand

This research analyzed the PSI political campaign strategy in gaining votes from overseas voters by taking the case of PSI’s victory in the 2019 general election in New Zealand. The main question in this paper is how the PSI political campaign strategy in New Zealand could win votes in the 2019 general election? To tackle this question, we used a communication strategy theory that emphasizes the vision and mission criteria, programs and activities, objectives and results, audience selection, message formulation, identification of message carriers, and communication/media mechanisms. This research utilized a qualitative method with two data collection techniques—primary and secondary. This research aims to examine the political campaign strategy of PSI in the 2019 general election in gaining overseas voters, specifically focusing on the winning of PSI in New Zealand. This study also aims to draw the campaign strategy, message processing and communication media used to attract overseas voters to gain victory.

Indonesia and The Criminalization of Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing in The Global Level

The staunch measures taken by President Joko Widodo’s administration in combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing has attracted considerable attention from academia. However, previous studies focused on analyzing law enforcement measures in terms of the sinking-vessel policy. Consequently, they failed to adequately comprehend how Indonesia deals with the problem by criminalizing IUU Fishing at the global level. This article attempts to fill such a gap. Employing the five stages of the historical evolution of a global prohibition regime, introduced by Andreas and Nadelmann (2006), this research investigated the progress of Indonesia’s campaign to criminalize IUU Fishing at the global level and identified some hurdles that Indonesia has to address in fostering the advancement of the criminalization campaign. This article discovered that Indonesia has arrived at the third stage of making the global prohibition regime of TOC in the fisheries industry and has to deal with the hurdles of argumentation weakness and disagreement from several countries.

Complex Interdependence Between Indonesia-Australia Through Cybersecurity Cooperation Post-Indonesia-Australia Cyberwar in 2013

The geographical proximity between Indonesia and Australia leads to harmonious relations between these two countries, especially in security. The development of information technology is one of the areas becoming the focus of Indonesia and Australia in maintaining regional security. Security cooperation has been established between Indonesia and Australia. This development can have an impact on a dispute between Indonesia and Australia, particularly in the 2013 cyberwar conflict. An Australian cyber-attack on Indonesia by tapping President Yudhoyono’s communication network caused the cyberwar incident. However, the post-cyberwar between Indonesia and Australia did not cause tension in the relations between the two countries. Indonesia approved the MOU of Cybersecurity Cooperation with Australia in 2018. This study aims to analyze the causes of Indonesia and Australia’s choice to continue their cybersecurity cooperation after the Indonesia-Australia cyberwar in 2013. This research utilized the theory of complex interdependence and domestic politics and qualitative analysis methods. The results revealed that Australia’s soft power resources, Australia’s political credibility, the advantages of Indonesia and Australia as democratic countries, and the political survival of individual leaders caused both countries to continue their cybersecurity cooperation after the Indonesia-Australia cyberwar in 2013.

Considering Local Integration for Refugees in Indonesia

This study discusses refugees who have been stranded in a transit country for years. These protracted refugees have to deal with a reality that the chance of getting resettlement in a third country has become slim, and the option of returning to their country of origin will only jeopardize their lives. Indonesia is not a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention that lays a responsibility to assimilate refugees in the resettlement countries. Indonesia, however, has opened its door for refugees based on humanity’s solidarity and the fact that Indonesia’s legal framework on human rights acknowledges the right to seek asylum in other countries and abides by the non-refoulement principle. The situation has become problematic when the number of refugees coming to Indonesia has continued to increase, but Indonesia does not have a comprehensive refugee policy to support them. By looking at the case of refugees living in Pekanbaru, this study concludes that Indonesia should consider the local integration option as one of the viable solution to the protracted refugee situations in Indonesia.

Paradiplomacy Policies and Regional Autonomy in Indonesia and Korea

This analysis focuses on the paradiplomatic policies in Indonesia and Korea. The two countries have similar characteristics, namely as unitary state systems, and enacted regional autonomy in the same era, 1998s. This qualitative research aims to examine paradiplomatic types in both countries and why the policies are rationalized. The findings revealed that although both countries are unitary states, paradiplomatic activism runs in different types. Provinces and cities in Indonesia face many restrictions and limitations by national regulations, while regional governments in Korea have more discretions and authorities to practice paradiplomacy around the world. The research finding also portrayed several provinces in Indonesia instrumentalizing paradiplomacy as instruments to provide international recognitions related to self-determination, and this similar fact is not met in Korea. This paper argues that the different types of paradiplomatic policies in both countries are influenced by domestic political conditions and typically influenced by the presence or absence of regional movements.