Diplomacy Works
“Diplomacy Works”. This came out in a Special Lecture delivered by Indonesia’s Deputy Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Dr Partogi J. Samosir, at the Institute’s Campus on 31 October 2017. The Students of Contemporary Diplomacy and International Relations profited from an animated discussion with the Ambassador in his presentation titled “ASEAN’S Strategic Diplomacy Promoting Regional Stability”.
In an insightful introduction, Dr Partogi highlighted how Indonesia managed to become a beacon of democracy despite having been suffering from corruption and decades of military rule just like other nations in South-East Asia. He however attributed the success to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation) use of Diplomacy. In his keynote presentation, the Deputy Ambassador also enunciated that Israel and Palestine, two nations splintered from one piece of territory, can not live together harmoniously while Malaysia and Singapore after an acrimonious divorce in 1965, they now live together in peace. What explains the difference, however, is ASEAN’s success in practising strategic diplomacy.
ASEAN is more important than ever. It has become more than an important neutral zone for great-power engagement. Its success in forging unity in diversity is a beacon of hope for our troubled world. As the ASEAN dynamic gained momentum, the Southeast Asian region became more closely connected. Webs of networks developed in different areas of cooperation, from trade to defence. ASEAN has begun to share this culture of peace with the larger Asia Pacific region.
In his concluding remarks, Deputy Ambassador, asserted that ASEAN is far from perfect—it has flaws just like any other regional International Organizations. It does not progress in a linear fashion, often taking two steps forward, one step backwards and one step sideways. However, despite its imperfections, ASEAN’s forward progress has been tangible. In these interesting times, ASEAN’s policies and practices of strategic diplomacy deserve appreciation and study by the global community.