Understanding Indonesia�s Response to Russia�s war in Ukraine:

Abstract

A Preliminary Analysis of the Discursive Landscape

“To Whom the Sirens Wail.” Poland’s Post-2022 Geopolitical Debates on Central and “Eastern Europe”

“…Against this background both Poland’s rulers and their rivals seemed to see an opportunity for Poland to assume shaping both the regional and the global approach to Eastern Europe, claiming that “the world accepted the Polish point of view (Wideo Wyborcza.pl, 2022)—a claim that was perhaps somewhat too bold in its Eurocentrism (see Dharmaputra, 2023; Tabosa, 2023). Yet, specific visions of the East/Eastern Europe also remained closely connected to the interpretation of the broader regional order, which, in turn, had long been a point of bitter disagreement between the rival political camps in Poland.…”

A Traumatic Relationship: The United States and Indonesia–Russian Relationship

“…Most importantly is the fact that Russia was no longer a communist state, which for the many anti-communist Indonesians is essentially a plus, as Russia, regardless of its economic difficulties in the 1990s, is no longer a hostile communist country (Dharmaputra, 2022). Essentially, the relationship transformed: Russia has turned into an alternative great power to the United States.…”

“…Russia is essentially a ‘hero to a developing country’, which in turn means that Indonesians are far more susceptible to disinformation campaigns and propaganda from Russia. Furthermore, Putin’s hypermasculine image also helps, especially since strong leaders are seen as attractive in Indonesia (Dharmaputra, 2022).…”

Non-Western responses to Russia's war in Ukraine: Learning from Indonesia

“…There are several reasons why these tendencies to normalize war and to argue that Russia's position is understandable occur in Indonesia. I have argued elsewhere (Dharmaputra 2022c(Dharmaputra , 2022d) that there are two main reasons: the lack of academic knowledge about Ukraine and Eastern Europe and the popularity of John Mearsheimer's neorealist approach. These reasons, especially the supremacy of neorealist thinking, seem to be prevalent in many other countries, including Visegrad countries and Japan (see Kazharski 2023 andHosaka 2023, this volume).…”

“…Another post-colonial tendency in the Indonesian context is to see Russia as a sort of anticolonial power that helped Indonesia during the struggle against the Dutch in the 1950s and as a good friend of Indonesia. The tendency to equate Russia and the Soviet Union is already problematic, but this nostalgic view of history is apparent in Indonesian elites and the academic community (Dharmaputra 2022d). For example, the Russian military help, with the AK-47 and Russia's help to the Indonesian military forces in West Papua, and the myth about KGB related to espionage, secret police, and coup d'état, were frequently glorified (Awaluddin 2010).…”