Indonesia Urgently Needs Science Diplomacy
When Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi led a state delegation visit to London as an attempt to procure Covid-19 vaccines she warned about the prospect of wealthy nations scooping up billions of doses, at the expense of developing countries such as Indonesia. The statement indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic presents both scientific and diplomatic challenges.
Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated profound geopolitical shifts, created new tensions, and allowed countries who excel in vaccine research to turn it into a geopolitical weapon or diplomatic tool. In fact, science has been an integral part of the diplomatic strategy of many developed countries beyond the scope of Covid-19, but hardly discussed in the context of Indonesian diplomacy.
In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and energy security are key 21st century challenges. Underlying every single one of these issues is science and technology. Today, no nation can either stand alone nor prosper without mastering science and technology. Science diplomacy, meaning international cooperation with science at its core, is the key to building resilience against these great challenges.
Now more than ever, science must become an integral part of Indonesian diplomatic strategy
Scientists have long formed relationships with colleagues across the globe and acted as agents for peace at times when their governments did not get along. For example, After World War II devastated Europe, the European Nuclear Research Laboratory (CERN) encouraged post-war contact between German and Israeli physicists often facilitated by Israeli’s diaspora scattered throughout the world.
Likewise, Indonesian diaspora can also help strengthen relationships between Indonesia and its partner countries. For example, Indonesian scientists working at UK’s best universities had influenced their institutions to establish the UK-Indonesia consortium for interdisciplinary sciences to address Indonesia’s greatest societal challenges (https://kemlu.go.id/london/id/news/8717/kado-istimewa-bagi-indonesia-dari-inggris-pembentukan-konsorsium-ilmuwan-indonesia-inggris). The consortium facilitated collaborations and discussions between the Indonesian minister of research and technology, Professor Bambang Brodjonegoro and his UK counterpart Amanda Solloway MP and thus strengthening the bilateral relationship between the UK and Indonesia.
At the moment, Indonesia has yet to maximise the potential of its scientific diaspora as tools for diplomacy despite a growing number of Indonesian scientists occupying strategic positions in world class research institutions. Instead, the approach the Indonesian government often take in utilising their scientific diaspora hinges on relocating them back into the country.
The problem with this approach is two-pronged: first, in today’s interconnected world, physical presence is of less importance. Second, strategic industries that breed innovations are not built by one or two individuals, rather they result from a sustainable, yet complex interplay between world class research that breeds knowledge, industries that support commercialisation of research, fair evidence-based policies, and robust market mechanism that brings investments.
This is one of the reasons why bringing electric vehicle technologists such as Ricky Elson back into the country had failed to kickstart the National electric car initiatives despite a promising beginning (https://jakartaglobe.id/news/electric-car-developers-abandoned-jakarta-get-funding-malaysia/). Ricky cited “lack of investment” as the reason why the project was abandoned.
Rather than hastily recalling our scientific diaspora the government needs to empower and integrate them into Indonesia’s science diplomacy. As diplomats, diaspora occupying strategic positions abroad can bring research collaboration opportunities from the likes of Rolls Royce, Tesla, and other world class research institutions and revamp Indonesia’s battery and electric vehicle industries — maximising the country’s potential as the world’s largest producer of base minerals for batteries.
Joe Biden’s America
Science diplomacy is urgently needed. As Joe Biden is inching closer towards the US presidency, his team has promised to “listen to science” in ways the US will devise its foreign policy. With Biden at helm, it is the right time to foster and strengthen scientific research partnership with the US on issues such as Covid-19, climate, and the environmental sustainability.
Joe Biden will seek to reverse many of the policies impacting these issues that have been put into place under Trump. For example, Biden has said that he will lead the United States to re-join the Paris Climate Accord that the US formally withdrew. With the US back on its track, a rejuvenated global trend on sustainability is not good news for fossil-fuel dependent Indonesia.
Indonesia needs to envisage new and creative ways to build better relationships with countries globally. Instead of merely asking its ambassadors to expedite exports of raw materials, Indonesia must begin to support its scientists to initiate and strengthen global research partnerships as means to lever trade and investments, and contribute solutions to world’s greatest challenges.
