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The establishment of national territorial boundaries is a strategic priority to safeguard sovereignty, maintain security stability, and strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Malaysia as well as Timor-Leste. As of 2024, there remain nine Outstanding Boundary Problems (OBP) with Malaysia and two unresolved segments with Timor-Leste. These issues stem from the continued relevance of outdated colonial agreements, limited diplomatic capacity, weak inter-agency coordination, and minimal support from modern surveying technology. Based on an analysis of four policy alternatives using the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, and long-term impact, the Strengthening of Intensive Bilateral Diplomacy has been identified as the priority policy. Implementation is directed to the Badan Nasional Pengelola Perbatasan (BNPP) as the main coordinator, supported by regulatory frameworks, diplomatic resources, and cross-ministerial/institutional coordination. Through this strategy, the resolution of pending boundary segments can be accelerated, legal certainty over national territory can be strengthened, security stability in border areas can be improved, and bilateral relations can become closer. Furthermore, Indonesia needs to strengthen diplomatic strategies, leverage technology, and enhance inter-agency coordination to accelerate the resolution of national border disputes. This policy directly contributes to achieving territorial sovereignty and sustainable development toward Indonesia Vision 2045.

This study examines Egypt's security dilemma in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in response to the escalation of Houthi attacks on global maritime trade routes. Since late 2023, Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea have disrupted major sea trade lanes, posing a direct strategic threat to Egypt, which relies heavily on Suez Canal revenues as a primary source of national income. This research employs a qualitative approach with a descriptive-analytical method, using secondary data from academic journals, international policy reports, and credible news sources. The analysis is grounded in Security Dilemma theory and the concept of Maritime Security within the framework of International Relations. Findings show that Egypt faces a complex strategic dilemma: on one hand, it must safeguard its economic interests through stable Suez Canal operations; on the other, direct military intervention against the Houthis risks political backlash from Arab public opinion and entanglement in Yemen's civil war. Egypt's response has therefore been calibrated, prioritizing diplomatic channels and multilateral coalition participation over unilateral military action. This research contributes a novelty by specifically mapping Egypt's strategic constraints in the Red Sea as a middle power caught between great power competition and regional non-state actor threats.

This study examines the implementation of Indonesia’s Visa on Arrival (VoA) policy in DKI Jakarta as both an instrument of tourism-driven economic recovery and a component of non-military national defense management under Law No. 23 of 2019 on the Management of National Resources for National Defense. While VoA has significantly contributed to the rebound of international tourist arrivals—surpassing 11 million visits nationally in 2023—it simultaneously generates governance challenges at strategic entry points such as Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, where facilitation of mobility intersects with risks including overstaying, transnational crime, human trafficking, and potential infiltration by non-state actors. Existing scholarship largely emphasizes economic impacts and regulatory frameworks, leaving limited analysis of VoA as part of an integrated civil defense infrastructure. Addressing this gap, the study aims to analyze how VoA implementation in DKI Jakarta is managed within a non-military defense perspective, particularly regarding institutional coordination, immigration intelligence, and risk mitigation mechanisms. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with immigration officials and security stakeholders, document analysis of relevant laws and ministerial regulations, and review of official immigration statistics, followed by thematic analysis. The findings indicate that although VoA effectively supports economic and diplomatic objectives, its function as a non-military defense instrument remains constrained by fragmented inter-agency coordination, uneven intelligence integration, and limited adaptive governance capacity at the local level. Strengthening collaborative surveillance systems, data-sharing mechanisms, and strategic policy alignment between immigration authorities and national defense institutions is therefore essential. The study concludes that reframing immigration governance as part of Indonesia’s broader non-military defense strategy is crucial to balancing openness with security in high-density international gateways.

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a global health crisis that revealed China's political strategies in intricate ways. This study examines the political aspects of China's response to the outbreak, focusing on its information management, domestic policies, and international diplomacy. By analyzing narratives surrounding the virus's origins and its global spread, the research also assessed the pandemic's impact on Indo-China relations[1] across diplomatic and economic dimensions. The pandemic period also coincided with a sharp deterioration in bilateral trust between India and China, highlighted by the Galwan Valley clash and subsequent tensions along the Line of Actual Control, which deepened strategic mistrust and hardened India’s policy stance. The findings illuminate how political maneuvering has redefined China's geopolitical standing during this crisis, providing insights into the evolving landscape of Indo-Pacific relations. By uncovering these complexities, this study contributes to a nuanced understanding of health geopolitics and the underlying power dynamics.    

Consular services have become a critical site of state intervention in the governance of international labor migration, particularly for migrant-sending countries such as Indonesia whose citizens depend on overseas missions for administrative protection and access to public services abroad. Despite the growing importance of consular institutions in safeguarding migrant workers’ rights and welfare, existing scholarship remains fragmented, offering limited conceptual integration of how administrative capacity shapes institutional readiness in cross-border public service delivery. Addressing this gap, this article presents a structured narrative–integrative literature review that synthesizes international peer-reviewed studies on administrative capacity, policy capacity, consular services, and migrant worker protection published in the last five years. Drawing on Administrative Capacity Theory as the core framework, complemented by Public Service Theory, Policy Implementation Theory, Street-Level Bureaucracy, and Institutional Theory, the review systematically analyzes how different dimensions of capacity configure institutional readiness in consular services. The findings reveal that institutional readiness emerges from the interaction of four interrelated dimensions: human resource capacity, organizational and procedural capacity, institutional and coordination capacity, and resource and infrastructure capacity. Rather than functioning as isolated determinants, these dimensions collectively shape how consular institutions translate formal mandates into service outcomes under conditions of transnational governance, legal pluralism, and fluctuating demand. The review further demonstrates that frontline discretion, coordination gaps, procedural rigidity, and uneven resource allocation are recurrent patterns across the literature, underscoring the dynamic and practice-based nature of administrative capacity in consular contexts. Theoretically, this article contributes to public administration scholarship by extending administrative capacity frameworks into the underexplored domain of cross-border public services and by integrating previously segmented theoretical perspectives into a coherent conceptual synthesis. By reframing consular services as institutionally embedded public service systems rather than solely diplomatic functions, the article advances understanding of institutional readiness in migrant worker protection and provides a robust analytical foundation for future empirical and comparative research in international public administration.

MICE tourism (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) is a sub-sector with high economic value and a unique capacity to play a diplomatic role through interaction between international actors. At the regional level, the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit (Summit) has been used by Indonesia not only for economic purposes, but also as an arena for public diplomacy and soft power development. This article examines how the ASEAN Summit (especially the series of ASEAN 2023 activities spread across several locations including Labuan Bajo, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta) shows the function of MICE as a soft power instrument in Indonesian tourism diplomacy. By combining a literature review on soft power and tourism diplomacy, an analysis of official documents, MICE industry reports, and a case study of the 2023 ASEAN Summit, this paper identifies the mechanisms of influence, determinants of effectiveness, economic and reputational impact, and policy challenges. The results show that the ASEAN Summit provides a great opportunity for nation branding and international public engagement, but its effectiveness depends on policy synergy, MICE infrastructure readiness, image management, and post-event strategies to turn temporary exposure into long-term benefits.

This research analyzes the Indonesian government’s policy responses to combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in the Arafura Sea during 2023-2024, focusing on the case of the Run Zeng 03 and Run Zeng 05 vessels. These foreign-flagged vessels, owned by a Chinese company but registered under the Russian flag, were involved in illegal fishing and human rights violations against Indonesian fishery crew members. Using a qualitative descriptive approach supported by literature studies and official government data, this research analyzes how Indonesia implemented its maritime sovereignty through legal enforcement, inter-agency coordination, and international maritime diplomacy. The findings reveal that Indonesia’s measures, such as vessel monitoring AIS/VMS technology, law enforcement through arrests and seizures, and diplomatic engagement with flag states reflect a progressive but still reactive approach. The study identifies key challenges, including limited foreign authorities. This research highlights the need for an integrated policy framework that combines hard power (law enforcement and patrols) with soft power (international cooperation, economic diplomacy, and labor protection). The study concludes that a comprehensive and collaborative approach is essential to strengthen maritime governance and ensure sustainable, equitable management of Indonesia’s marine resources.

This study aims to analyze Indonesia’s foreign policy in the G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration of 2022 by mapping national interests to understand the direction and priorities of Indonesian diplomacy amid complex global geopolitical dynamics. Employing a qualitative descriptive-analytical approach and the Rational Choice Theory framework, this research examines how Indonesia, as G20 Presidency, conducted rational calculations between domestic interests and external pressures—particularly regarding the Russia–Ukraine conflict. The findings reveal that Indonesia successfully embedded its national interests into four main dimensions: non-traditional security, strategic economy (energy transition, digitalization, food security), an inclusive global order, and ideological values rooted in the free and active principle. These were effectively integrated into the final declaration. Through an active-inclusive diplomatic strategy including shuttle diplomacy and carefully neutral diplomatic language Indonesia maintained consensus despite deep geopolitical polarization. This demonstrates that Indonesia’s foreign policy during its G20 Presidency was the result of deliberate rational choice, not only addressing global challenges but also reinforcing its role as a credible middle power and bridge-builder. The study contributes theoretically to rationality-based foreign policy analysis and offers practical insights for future Indonesian multilateral diplomacy.