The escalating geopolitical conflict in the Middle East has been a wake-up call for many countries, including those in Southeast Asia. Global instability no longer only impacts the security sector but is also beginning to threaten the global energy and food supply chain. In this context, Indonesia has emerged as a central figure in ASEAN, taking on the positions and ideas expressed by President Prabowo Subianto at the BIMP-EAGA Summit and the ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines.
President Prabowo’s speech demonstrated a significant shift in Indonesia’s diplomatic orientation. Energy security is no longer viewed as a long-term technocratic issue, but rather as a pressing strategic issue directly related to regional stability. The President assessed that global geopolitical pressures have created real risks to ASEAN’s energy security, ensuring that the region can no longer rely on old, reactive and partial patterns.
At the BIMP-EAGA forum, President Prabowo emphasized that ASEAN actually has significant potential to become a global clean energy hub. Southeast Asia boasts abundant natural resources, ranging from hydropower to solar energy and wind energy, spread across strategic areas. However, he believes the greatest challenge lies not in the availability of potential, but rather in the political courage of ASEAN countries to move more quickly and with greater integration.
This perspective demonstrates how Indonesia is beginning to position itself as a key driver of the region’s energy transition. Indonesia is not simply warning of the threat of an energy crisis caused by global conflict, but is also offering concrete solutions through cross-border renewable energy development.
President Prabowo even highlighted the importance of accelerating strategic regional projects such as hydropower development in Kalimantan, solar energy expansion, and wind energy utilization in ASEAN coastal areas. At the same time, Indonesia is demonstrating its commitment by accelerating the construction of large-scale solar power plants, reaching the target of 100 gigawatts.
This step has significant geopolitical significance. Amidst global oil price uncertainty and the threat of disruption to global energy distribution, countries that can build energy independence will have a stronger bargaining position in the international arena. Indonesia understands that energy is now not only an economic issue but also an instrument of strategic diplomacy.
Therefore, the idea of strengthening regional connectivity through the Trans Borneo Power Grid project is highly relevant. Indonesia aims to build a more integrated regional energy network to make cross-border electricity distribution more efficient and stable. This approach demonstrates that Indonesia is thinking not only in terms of national interests but also in terms of ASEAN’s collective resilience.
Furthermore, Indonesia’s push for regional energy integration demonstrates a long-term vision to reduce ASEAN’s dependence on energy sources from outside the region. As global conflicts repeatedly disrupt the stability of the international energy market, ASEAN requires a more independent energy backup and distribution system. In this context, Indonesia is striving to make regional energy cooperation a new foundation for Southeast Asia’s economic resilience.
Furthermore, Indonesia’s leadership is also evident in its ability to maintain diplomatic balance amidst rivalries between major world powers. ASEAN currently faces increasingly complex geopolitical pressures, ranging from Middle East conflicts, global trade wars, and competition for influence among major powers in the Indo-Pacific. Indonesia is striving to ensure that ASEAN remains an independent and solid region, resistant to global polarization.
This approach is reinforced by Foreign Minister Sugiono’s active diplomacy at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Foreign Minister Sugiono emphasized that ASEAN must remain a trusted and stable region amidst an increasingly uncertain world. This statement also demonstrates Indonesia’s efforts to maintain ASEAN’s centrality and maintain its relevance as an anchor of regional stability.
Indonesia also encourages strengthening ASEAN’s partnerships with various partner countries to achieve concrete results in addressing shared challenges. Indonesia’s support for Turkey’s efforts to become an ASEAN dialogue partner demonstrates Jakarta’s desire to expand its strategic regional network without abandoning the principles of regional balance and stability.
In addition to energy, Indonesia also emphasized the importance of food security as a primary foundation for regional security. President Prabowo believes that threats to food are as serious as those to energy. This view is highly relevant considering that global geopolitical crises often trigger disruptions in food distribution, spikes in commodity prices, and even inflationary pressures in many developing countries.
Furthermore, the food security agenda promoted by Indonesia is closely linked to the national downstreaming and industrialization agenda. The government strives to ensure that Indonesia’s rich natural resources are not simply exported as raw materials, but are processed into strategic economic strength capable of supporting domestic and regional needs. In this way, Indonesia not only builds national resilience but also strengthens the economic resilience of ASEAN as a whole.
The series of ASEAN Summits in Cebu ultimately demonstrated one important fact: Indonesia is strengthening its role as a regional leader capable of providing concrete solutions amidst global uncertainty. While the world faces the threat of an energy and food crisis due to prolonged conflict, Indonesia has emerged with an agenda of collaboration, energy transition, and strengthening regional resilience.
*) International Relations Observer