Quantitative Assessment of the Evolution of Indonesia International Military Cooperation with the United States and China (1995 – 2014)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33172/jp.v12i1.19839Keywords:
China, Indonesia, International Military Cooperation, IMCI , United StatesAbstract
The dynamics of the rivalry between China and the United States have significantly affected many countries, with both seeking to align other states with them. Both the United States and China seek to increase their influence amid geopolitical competition, including military cooperation with Indonesia. Following the question of how these two relationships have developed over time, we present a quantitative analysis of the evolution, trend, and variations of international military cooperation with both China and the United States. With that in mind, this study developed an original index, the International Military Cooperation Intensity (IMCI) Index, to measure military cooperation between Indonesia and the two countries from 1995 to 2014 in the areas of arms transfers and bilateral joint military exercises. The findings from the IMCI Index show that while Indonesia has increasingly strengthened its military cooperation with the United States, it has simultaneously strengthened its relationship with China. While our findings confirm the assumption that the United States remains Indonesia’s stronger partner, they also show Indonesia’s increasing military cooperation with China during this period. This result, using these two quantitative indicators, increases our understanding of Indonesia's evolving military cooperation with both countries during this period. In addition, the methodological approach used in this study demonstrated the usefulness of constructing an index to show trends, evolution, and variation in examining international relations events such as international military cooperation.
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