Asia Sentinel

Asia Sentinel

Politics

Jakarta’s Belarus Opening

Indonesia’s Lukashenko move and the promise of strategic hedging

Jul 23, 2026
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By: Kurniawan Arif Maspul

For a head of state who has spent years as the West’s favorite pariah, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, in early July, received the diplomatic equivalent of a royal flush. Sukhoi combat aircraft roaring overhead. An 80-member cavalry escort thundering down Medan Merdeka Utara. The traditional Enggang dance from East Kalim…

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