American grand strategy and US foreign policy towards Indonesia

© 2017 Dr. Christopher W. FreiseThis study focuses on how and why American grand strategy has impacted bilateral US foreign policy towards Indonesia, and the manner in which particularly American characteristics of strategic culture have infused this dynamic relationship. The overall value placed upon Indonesia within US grand strategic considerations has varied considerably in the post-World II period, as too have particular policies that take Indonesia’s changing role into account. Structural realist approaches fail to fully explain these fluctuations of interest towards Indonesia by the United States, as they were influenced but not determined by changes within the international system. As such, strict structural realist explanations can tell only part of the story. In order to address shortcomings of the structural realist model, these variations in strategic importance and bilateral policy are considered using a neoclassical realist model in order to consider the unique practice and formulation of American grand strategy. Particular attention is paid to the national security and strategic culture in which such strategies are considered, formulated, and evaluated in order to better understand how such policies are understood and made. Such a framework allows for the consideration of the traditional strengths and weaknesses associated with realist scholarship while supplementing these perspectives with a nuanced and historically-oriented viewpoint that evaluates how particularly American characteristics within the formulation and practice of grand strategy influence the relationship of the United States with Indonesia. Historical and contemporary data are evaluated using Green’s “three-note chord” formulation of American grand strategic thought, highlighting the overlapping concerns of physical security, economic security, and the promotion of values within both overall American grand strategy and US bilateral foreign policy towards Indonesia. Through the consideration of the influence of traditional and historical characteristics of American grand strategy, namely the particular national strategic culture of the United States, a more comprehensive understanding of Indonesia’s changing role within the overall foreign policy framework of the United States can be found. In doing so, it also confirms the theoretical and practical value offered by neoclassical realism within the broader universe of international relations scholarship. Furthermore, this nuanced examination of American strategic culture allows for an insight into what role Indonesia might play in the future of American grand strategy while also pointing to potential sources of future scholarship