Alternative Paths Amid Western Hegemony: Why Indonesia Needs Belarus’s ‘Eurasian Bridge’

The strategic partnership between Indonesia and Belarus is an example of the successful formation and implementation of alternative models of cooperation and development in the context of the hegemony of great powers.

Photo by Yan Gorbanyuk, BELTA.

Dependency and Multilateralism

Dependency Theory, developed by thinkers such as Andre Gunder Frank and Theotonio dos Santos, argues that peripheral countries (known as the Global South) exist in a structurally unequal relationship with central countries (known as the Global North). This dependency manifests itself in flows of capital, technology, and markets that favour developed countries while marginalizing developing ones. In the Indonesian context, dependence on a handful of major trading partners creates what is known as structural vulnerability, susceptibility to external shocks, and geopolitical pressures.

Meanwhile, the multilateralist perspective offers a solution through the formation of inclusive and non-hegemonic alliances and cooperation frameworks. Global multilateralism allows countries to continue building and strengthening institutions and norms that moderate great power competition, creating space for middle-income countries like Indonesia to expand their strategic options. The Indonesia-Belarus partnership, framed within multilateral architecture such as the Indonesia-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Belarus’s aspiration to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), is a manifestation of these efforts.

Indonesia’s Structural Vulnerability and the Rationality of Alternative Paths

Indonesia’s dependence on certain trading partners has long been a concern. Indonesian exports are still dominated by raw commodities and semi-finished products, while imports of technology and capital goods rely on developed countries. This situation........

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