Indonesia Joins BRICS, But What Does this Mean?
On January 7th, Indonesia joined BRICS, making it the first Southeast Asian nation to do so. This is a significant shift for Indonesia, which in recent years has remained largely neutral and worked to strengthen relations with both the western and eastern countries. However, Indonesia’s current President, Prawbowo aims to increase Indonesia’s role as a leader on the global stage. Yet will Indonesia be successful in foraging its place outside of the spheres of the west and east,as it has done before, or will it get caught in the cross-fire?
To begin, we first must quickly understand what BRICS is. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa– a group of nations who came together to counter Western global influence and give emerging economies more of a voice in international economics. In 2023, the block expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The primary goal of this group is to help its members increase their economic development. However, BRICS also includes several countries which have had or currently have rather frayed relations with the US and the west. Now, what does this have to do with Southeast Asia?
China and the US have been vying for influence in Southeast Asia leaving the nations of the region to walk a fine line between maintaining relations with both superpowers. However, Indonesia joining BRICS is a big move, which could be a source of concern for the west. In particular, Indonesia seeks to buy cheaper oil from Russia, citing this as an opportunity to help propel Indonesia’s economic growth. However, this would be concerning for the west which has aimed to pressure Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine through tariffs on oil. Yet if Russia continues to find new markets for its oil such as India and now Indonesia, Russia will be able to go around these tariffs and are less likely to succumb to international pressure. With the Ukraine war having been ongoing for the past three years and the recent talks of the end of the war from President Trump and other European leaders, the west will be keen to have countries such as Indonesia to align with its tactics.
While joining BRICS could potentially sour relations with the West, there is also a great opportunity for Indonesia to help improve its economy and help contribute to a more prosperous and stable Southeast Asia. Additionally, Indonesia also seeks to join OECD, showcasing its continued plan to build connections with both the west and east. In an increasingly polarized world, where countries seem to be more at opposition than in collaboration, could countries such as Indonesia, which has a hand in both bowls, be the answer to fostering global cooperation?