Speaker
Description
This article examines the dynamics of bilateral cybersecurity diplomacy between Indonesia and the United Kingdom (UK), highlighting how cooperation between a rising digital power in Southeast Asia and a global cybersecurity leader provides a model for addressing transnational cyber threats. Cybersecurity has emerged as a critical issue for both states: Indonesia faces persistent attacks on government and private systems, while the UK contends with increasingly sophisticated adversaries despite its advanced cyber infrastructure. Since the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cyber and Digital Cooperation, followed by the 2022–2024 Partnership Roadmap and the 2025 Strategic Partnership, bilateral collaboration has deepened. This research employs a qualitative case study design, drawing on interviews, official documents, and secondary sources to explore how cooperation unfolds in three dimensions: human resource capacity-building, governance process harmonization, and technological collaboration. Findings suggest that bilateral diplomacy has strengthened Indonesia’s cyber resilience, provided learning opportunities through training and joint exercises, and advanced the UK’s influence as a normative actor in Southeast Asia. However, challenges remain, including regulatory disparities, limited resources, and bureaucratic inertia. The article argues that Indonesia–UK cybersecurity diplomacy represents an important case of middle-power cooperation in cyberspace, contributing to resilience, trust, and norm-building. It offers both practical recommendations for policymakers such as expanding joint research and institutionalizing regional mechanisms and academic insights for the study of international cyber diplomacy.
| ASEAN | Diplomacy |
|---|---|
| Online / Onsite | online |
