This collaborative research project between the Center for the Global South Studies  at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) examines Indonesia’s evolving role in the Global South amidst a rapidly transforming global order. As U.S. dominance wanes, China asserts itself as a global power, and alternative development paradigms gain traction, the idea of a reinvigorated Global South has resurfaced as a significant axis of geopolitical imagination and solidarity.

Within this context, Indonesia—long associated with ASEAN regionalism and the Asia-Pacific strategic architecture—is undergoing a strategic recalibration. Its foreign policy now reflects a growing outreach toward Africa, South Asia, and the broader Islamic world. This project explores Indonesia’s expanding diplomatic and economic engagement with the Global South not simply as a response to global power shifts, but as a conscious effort to help shape a post-Western international order grounded in shared developmental goals, plural modernities, and mutual respect among emerging powers.

Bringing together scholars from Indonesia and Singapore, the project aims to:

• Analyse Indonesia’s foreign policy repositioning through case studies of its bilateral and multilateral engagement with Global South actors;
• Investigate the narratives, ideational legacies, and policy instruments that shape Indonesia’s Global South diplomacy;
• Examine the institutional, economic, and geopolitical implications of Indonesia’s role in fostering Global South solidarity.

The findings will be published as a special issue and presented in joint seminars and policy roundtables held in Jakarta and Singapore, with the goal of advancing both academic debate and policy dialogue on Indonesia’s Global South vision.