Suchergebnisse

This study examines the causal relationship between development and human security at the border. In Malaysia, among the main goals in implementing development policies include ensuring prosperity as well as human security of its citizens. However, the effectiveness of these policies, particularly in the context of border communities living in the interior, is largely unknown. Accordingly, research has conducted interviews and observations at the border area of Ba'kelalan, Sarawak, Malaysia, to assess (1) the impact of Malaysian development policies on the socioeconomic status and international cross-border dimension and (2) the extent to which developmental issues have posed a threat to the human security at the border. Research found that although Malaysian development policies have succeeded to bring various development programs in Ba'kelalan, it has inadequately addressed some developmental issues in this area. The reality of development inequality, lack of development in the agricultural sector, and the ambiguous status of lands are found to have threatened human security of the Lun Bawang in Ba'kelalan. If the goal is promoting people-centered security and responding to the core objective of human security to prioritize risk prevention and early intervention of the human security threat, understanding the reality experienced by the people on the ground and considering views from the bottom in the national policy decision and formulation in the future are crucial.

Abstract This article analyses the role of nationalism and power politics (external/domestic) in shaping Indonesia's relations with Malaysia during the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). More specifically, it examines how nationalism, namely domestic nationalist pressure interacts with other external-domestic determinants in shaping Indonesia's external behaviour and options towards Malaysia when managing the cultural heritage disputes, with particular attention given to Malaysia's alleged claims of proprietorship over the Pendet dance and Rasa Sayange folk song. By adopting a neoclassical realist construct, this study seeks to address the pertinent questions of why, how, when and to what extent nationalism affects the perceptions and calculation of the SBY administration and Jakarta's policy options during their altercations over the two cultural heritage debacles. Special attention is given to examining the interactions between domestic nationalist pressure and the related external-domestic determinants influencing Indonesia's foreign policy towards Malaysia, to assess the extent to which nationalism constrained the SBY administration's handling of the related episodes of the cultural heritage disputes. This study found the salience of nationalism and/or domestic nationalist pressure in constraining/affecting SBY administration's management of the cultural heritage disputes affecting the Indonesia-Malaysia bilateral ties to be dependent on the Indonesian state-elites' perceptions/calculation of the external-domestic conditions, namely their domestic political resolve vis-à-vis nationalist forces and Indonesia's relative power position compared with Malaysia, which predisposed specific foreign policy-options during the given time period and context.