EXECUTIVE DOMINANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL BYPASSING: RE-EVALUATING INDONESIA’S BEBAS-AKTIF DOCTRINE AND GLOBAL SOUTH ANCHOR ROLE IN AN ERA OF MULTIALIGNMENT

Abstract

As of mid-2026, the international system is characterized by severe hyper-fragmentation. This volatility is exacerbated by the protracted conflict in Ukraine, Middle Eastern instability underscored by recent intelligence claims regarding Iranian nuclear capabilities, and the aggressive expansion of geo-economic trade wars, most notably the implementation of United States Section 301 reciprocal tariffs. Amidst these compounding systemic shocks, Indonesia’s traditional Bebas-Aktif (Independent and Active) foreign policy doctrine remains its primary strategic asset. The doctrine provides the ideological and practical foundation for multialignment, theoretically ensuring the state's status as a proactively neutral anchor of the Global South. However, contemporary diplomatic maneuvers reveal a critical vulnerability in Indonesia’s foreign policy governance. This article evaluates the rise of reactionary, "Head-of-State" diplomacy, which frequently bypasses the institutional guardrails of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu). Through qualitative analysis—examining the simultaneous dual-track push for BRICS and OECD accession, bureaucratic dysregulation in ambassadorial credentialing, and the capitulation of critical mineral sovereignty during the 2025 reciprocal tariff negotiations—this paper argues that the lack of standardized diplomatic governance reduces Bebas-Aktif from a grand strategy to ad-hoc transactionalism. To avoid the trap of becoming a geopolitical "yes-man" and to protect vital non-traditional security (NTS) assets tied to the energy transition, Indonesia must urgently re-institutionalize its foreign policy vetting protocols and firmly reject asymmetrical bilateral coercion.