Assessing Indian Ocean Economics: Perspective from Pakistan

The Indian Ocean offers the “global commons” the sea lanes of communication that connects the East with the West. These SLOCs nurtures the global economic world by providing for a classical instance of ‘multilateral maritime matrix,’ whereby merchant ships are manufactured in one country, maintained and owned by another, underwritten by third, registered in fourth and crewed by subjects of another. In this regard, the strategic and commercial concerns of nation-states extends from its immediate maritime borders to the protection of chokepoints where merchandise is most vulnerable to array of contemporary security threats. The third largest ocean, since the cessation of bipolar hostilities after the end of the Cold War, has been integrated to global market economics to a critical extent whereby any interruptions to the established trade networks is likely to have a ‘shockwave effect’. The Indian Ocean is presaged to continue as a ‘central shipment pathway’ for regional and inter-continental trade in wide scope of commercial commodity items. The patterns observed in the region consists of up gradation of existing port infrastructure and developing export markets and resources based on blue economy would strengthen maritime ties. These transformations have the potential to permit the Indian Ocean to be the “strategic heart of the maritime world”.

Minangkabau Matriliny and Gender Equality: Cultural Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

The Minangkabau ethnic group is still the largest matrilineal society in the world. Past research on this ethnicity are mainly centralized on the concept of merantau (migration), on its adaptation after the enter of Islam, and on the gender role and position in Minangkabau society. This research aims to highlight the contribution of the Minangkabau matrilineal system to the local development of West Sumatra, specifically the gender equality goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and to what extent if it were present. This research employed qualitative method, and data were collected through literature study and interview with national and local NGOs working in the field of women and development. This research discovered that theoretically, the Minangkabau matrilineal values can and should stimulate the gender equality SDGs achievement in West Sumatra. However, in reality, gender inequality still exists in West Sumatra with several SGD targets having wider gaps compared to other patrilineal societies in Indonesia. This research argues that by not wholly implementing the matrilineal values, the West Sumatran Minangkabau people has indirectly restrained themselves from achieving gender equality in the region, specifically related to violence and discrimination against women, also active participation of women in the economy and politics.

Penyelundupan Narkoba di Perbatasan Entikong Indonesia dan Malaysia

Permasalahan penyelundupan narkoba merupakan kejahatan lintas batas yang menjadi permasalahan yang krusial bagi negara Indonesia. Penyelundupan narkoba marak terjadi di perbatasan Indonesia-Malaysia dan khususnya di Entikong Indonesia dan Tebedu Malaysia, kasus tersebut cenderung mengalami kenaikan di setiap tahunnya. Berdasarkan permasalahan tersebut maka penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis faktor penyebab penyelundupan narkoba di perbatasan Entikong Indonesia dan Malaysia dalam perspektif kejahatan lintas batas. Penelitian ini menggunakan teori Cross Border Crime dan metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan kualitatif untuk melihat analisis mendalam terhadap hasil penelitian. Data pada penelitian ini diperoleh melalui wawancara dan studi literatur. Hasil penelitian menemukan bahwa penyelundupan narkoba yang merupakan kejahatan lintas batas di perbatasan Entikong Indonesia dan Malaysia masih terjadi yang disebabkan tetap berjalannya koordinasi yang dilakukan oleh sindikat penyelundup narkoba di penjara sekalipun, minimnya fasilitas pendeteksi terhadap jalur-jalur di perbatasan, masih lemahnya pengawasan dan penindakan hukum, adanya benturan kebijakan antara Indonesia dengan Malaysia, terdapat modus operandi yang baru dalam penyelundupan narkoba tingkat internasional, serta digunakannya jalan tikus di perbatasan Entikong Indonesia dan Malaysia sebagai jalur penyelundupan narkoba.

Changes and Continuities in the Global Health Governance of Coronaviruses

This paper aims to examine changes and continuities in terms of actors and policies in the global health governance on coronaviruses in order to understand the available tools, the characters and the extent they meet the required responses of a pandemic. In doing so, this paper examines actors and policies in the governance of three occurrences of coronaviruses, i.e. SARS, MERS, and the COVID-19. Actors and policies are mapped based on its function in a pandemic: (a) surveillance and knowledge dissemination, (b) material and financial assistance both for emergency and long term purposes, and (c) rule-making behavior. This paper found that the larger scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has led more actors involved in the global governance of COVID-19 than during MERS and SARS. WHO still dominates the surveillance and knowledge dissemination as well as rule making leadership. It also leads in providing material assistance to affected countries. Yet, with the significant impacts to global economy, global financial institutions dominate the provision of financial assistance both for short term and long term commitment. This imbalanced crowd in this last aspect, therefore, causes a changing dominant approach of the GHG on coronaviruses from the previously dominating evidence-based scientific approach to economic approach.

The Implementation of Australia’s “Stepping-Up Engagement” with the Melanesian States as the Defence Strategy of Australia to Respond to the Rise of China in the South Pacific Region (2013-2018)

The rise of China in the South Pacific region indicates China’s growing political-diplomatic, economic, and the possibility of military presence within the region. Accordingly, it develops Australia’s threat perception and affects Australia’s national interest. A secure nearer region is the second most important in Australia’s strategic defense interests. Therefore, the stability and security of the South Pacific region are crucial to Australia’s national interests. This research discussed Australia’s “Stepping-Up engagement” as the defense strategy of Australia to strengthen its bilateral defense relations with the Melanesian states as the response to the rise of China. In addition, the research is constructed by using the concept of national interest, threat perception, defence strategy and bilateral defence relations through qualitative research method. This research explains the implementation of Australia’s “Stepping-Up engagement” with the Melanesian states as the defence strategy of Australia to respond to the rise of China in the South Pacific region.

Failure of Securitizing the Climate Change Issue at the United Nations Security Council (2007-2019)

This paper describes the dynamics of debates on the securitization of climate change issue at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which took place from 2007 to 2019. Although there have been four open debates on this issue at the UNSC, until 2019, the process of the securitization of climate change issue has failed. Prior studies discussing the same concern has only explained some of the reasons proposed in the debates, such as relating to the mandate of the UNSC, the division of work in the UN units, and whether the issue of climate change could be considered as a security issue. By applying the Externalist School of Securitization theory, this paper analyzes the relationship between sociolinguistics and socio-politics in the dynamics of the debates on the securitization of climate change issue at the UNSC and the roles of the permanent members in the debates. The main argument in this research is spotted on the existing rejection against the framing of climate change as a security issue by several UNSC permanent members, hence no mitigation policy can be mutually agreed upon. This has resulted in a failure in the process of securitizing the climate change issue at the UNSC (2007-2019). Keywords:The Security Council, Climate Change, Securitization

Kerja Sama G20 dalam Pemulihan Ekonomi Global dari COVID-19

This study reveals the institutional performance of the G20 in order to help global economy recovery because of COVID-19. This study uses qualitative methods, providing in-depth descriptions through internet-based research as data-based techniques. This study indicates that G20 has proven its performance in carrying out a multilateral cooperation system through collective responses, which contain six dimensions, namely yaitu domestic political management; deliberation; direction setting; decision making; and development of global governance. G20's coordination creates a global network that includes interactions between international institutions, namely the IMF, WTO, and World Bank, as well as regional organizations and informal partnerships in the arena of international cooperation.

Bencana dan Konflik: Pelajaran dari Aceh dan Sri Lanka

Several academic studies have given birth to the notion that natural disasters and conflicts have a close relationship. Under certain conditions, the disaster functions to bring peace in conflict areas. However, it has not explained how the peace process can affect the dynamics of conflict. This paper aims to analyze the factors that cause conflict in a disaster area to transform into peace or vice versa. The prolonged social conflicts in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh (1976–2005) and Sri Lanka (1983–2009) are examples of cases where the tsunami disaster in December 2004 led to a peace agreement in Aceh, which was not long in the future while failing to bring peace to Sri Lanka. The research conduct with descriptive qualitative methods and internet-based literature study techniques. This paper finds that disaster is a catalyst for the peace process, not determining peace. The transformation of conflict into peace influence by four factors: poverty, state capacity, negotiations, and internationalization of conflicts. These factors that can create peace also depend much on pre-disaster and post-disaster peace efforts.

Analysis of Russia's Approach to Kyoto Protocol: Russia's Withdrawal from Second Commitment Period (2013-2020)

In 2004 Russia ratified Kyoto Protocol, one of the international agreements which focuses on climate change mitigation. Kyoto Protocol was established as a framework for countries to mitigate climate change globally by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions accordingly to their respective targets. Russia officially participated in the first commitment period of Kyoto Protocol in 2005 after ensuring the benefits by doing so. Entering the second commitment period, in 2011 Russia decided to withdraw. In consideration of Russia’s position as the largest fossil fuel energy exporter and as a country whose economy is in restoration, Russia’s approach to Kyoto Protocol is based on its interests and benefits which it gains from the framework. This paper analyzes the factors behind Russia’s withdrawal from the second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol through the perspective of offensive realism with qualitative methodology. The thesis finds that Russia’s reasoning of withdrawal was an act to protect its national interest, which is economic security, specifically its energy sector.

Peran WTO dalam Menjembatani Benturan Kepentingan Antara Uni Eropa dan Indonesia dalam Perdagangan Biodiesel

Indonesia's success at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in demanding the European Union (EU) to drop its biodiesel anti-dumping policy in 2018, as well as EU’s compliance with the decision, is a unique case when faced with the perception that international institutions tend to be inclined towards developed countries and disadvantaging developing countries. Utilizing Robert O. Keohane's liberal institutional functionalism theory, this paper describes how the WTO acted as a facilitator in resolving biodiesel disputes between the two parties. This paper argues that the WTO not only provides a dispute settlement mechanism and helps balance information biases, but also raises the cost of reputation and credibility that EU must pay if it chooses to defect the ruling. This research is not intended to show that the WTO, or international institutions and regimes in general, is an antidote for any disputes between developed and developing countries, or that it can always successfully mediate disputes between countries in general. Instead, this paper shows that international institutions can provide a platform for developing countries when facing developed countries, as long as the said actor acts rationally and makes careful calculations about its bargaining position and possible steps to be taken by its opponent.Keywords: WTO, European Union, Indonesia, anti dumping, liberal institutions, international regime, biodiesel. Kemenangan Indonesia di World Trade Organization (WTO) terhadap tuntutan penghapusan bea masuk anti dumping biodiesel Uni Eropa pada tahun 2018, serta kepatuhan Uni Eropa pada keputusan WTO tersebut, dapat dikatakan sebagai sebuah anomali ketika dihadapkan pada persepsi bahwa institusi internasional cenderung condong kepada negara maju dan merugikan negara berkembang. Tulisan ini menjabarkan bagaimana WTO berperan sebagai fasilitator dalam upaya penyelesaian sengketa biodiesel di antara kedua pihak, dengan menggunakan teori fungsionalisme institusi liberal Robert O. Keohane. WTO tidak hanya memberikan platform dan menyeimbangkan bias informasi lewat mekanisme penyelesaian sengketanya, namun juga menaikkan biaya reputasi dan kredibilitas yang harus dibayarkan Uni Eropa jika ia mengabaikan putusan institusi perdagangan internasional tersebut. Penelitian ini tidaklah ditujukan untuk menunjukkan bahwa WTO, atau institusi dan rezim internasional secara umum, dapat menjadi penawar bagi tiap-tiap pertikaian antara negara maju dan negara berkembang, atau menengahi pertikaian antar negara secara umum. Tulisan ini menunjukkan bahwa institusi internasional dapat memberikan wadah bagi negara berkembang ketika dihadapkan dengan negara maju, selama aktor bertindak rasional dan membuat perhitungan yang matang mengenai posisi tawarnya serta langkah-langkah yang akan ditempuh oleh lawannya.Keyword: WTO, Uni Eropa, Indonesia, anti dumping, institusi liberal, rezim internasional, biodiesel.