During his first term in office, President Widodo promised to return Indonesia to its maritime roots and establish the country as a maritime power. Some may wonder though, how did the world’s largest archipelagic state loose its maritime roots to begin with? Widodo is now into his second term and he appears to have abandoned his maritime vision. What does this mean for Indonesia and what does it mean for the region?

This comes at a time where we continue to see encroachment by Chinese vessels into Indonesian waters and even challenging Indonesian authorities. Are these just random fishing vessels wandering into Indonesian territory or is this a strategic move by Beijing as part of a wider, long-term goal?

I discuss these important maritime issues, territorial disputes with China, how Widodo’s plan to move the nation’s capital might impact the armed forces and, much more with: Dr. Evan Laksmana, political scientist and senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here in Jakarta.

Be sure to follow Evan Laksmana’s Twitter feed to learn more of his insights and analysis:  @evanlaksmana

Executive producer for this episode Shawn Corrigan, producer is Tanita, research done by veronica, sound engineering by Rizki and visual design by our newest team member, Daniel.

This episode was recorded shortly before the Covid-19 crisis arrived in Indonesia.

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