UNAIR NEWS – On Monday, January 6, 2024, Indonesia was officially recognized as a full member of BRICS, a development announced by Brazil, which currently holds the group’s presidency for 2025. Indonesia’s membership follows a consensus reached by the organization’s members in 2023.

Radityo Dharmaputra, a lecturer of International Relations Program at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), shared his insights on this milestone. He argued that Indonesia’s membership in BRICS may not bring substantial benefits to the nation.

Unclear advantages

Dharmaputra highlighted the lack of evident benefits for Indonesia’s inclusion in BRICS He highlighted the challenging position Indonesia finds itself in, as BRICS includes nations that are perceived as economic challengers to the West, without clear gains for Indonesia.

“This poses a challenge because there’s no explicit benefit Indonesia gains from joining. Economically, Indonesia has already been able to collaborate with BRICS members without needing to formally join. As such, becoming a member does not provide a definitive advantage for the country,” he stated.

Potential Western sentiment

Dharmaputra pointed out that Indonesia’s inclusion in BRICS carries inherent risks, given that the organization comprises emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with the aim of enhancing their collective global economic influence. BRICS is often seen as a counterbalance to Western economic dominance.

“Indonesia’s BRICS membership might provoke negative sentiment from Western nations. The consequence is that we could be perceived as aligning with the China-Russia bloc by the West. As the Foreign Minister has stated, we need diversified investors to avoid overdependence on any single country. Joining BRICS must not be interpreted as Indonesia abandoning its ties with Western nations,” he emphasized.

Strategic implications

Globally, Dharmaputra argued that BRICS has yet to demonstrate a significant impact on Indonesia’s standing. He suggested that this move might reflect President Prabowo’s ambition to assert himself as a global leader but cautioned that it could strain Indonesia’s relations with Western nations.

“Going forward, Indonesia must exercise caution in its international strategies. Mitigating risks will require strengthening ties with the United States and the European Union to maintain balance. Without such measures, the cost of this decision could be too steep,” he concluded.

Author: Rifki Sunarsis Ari Adi

Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia