October 06, 2026
How Much More Trump Trouble Can Indonesia’s Prabowo Take?
This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.
That Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto skipped the annual inaugural proceedings of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) this year is not so unusual—after all, so did the leaders of China, Germany, India, Mexico, South Africa, and a host of other nations. Nonetheless, Prabowo’s absence has prompted speculation that he intended to send a message by avoiding a visit to the United States. Although Jakarta officially cited Prabowo’s need to address domestic priorities, some Indonesian experts see his absence as reflecting growing frustration with Washington following Jakarta’s attempts to align with Trump administration priorities.
Once again, Prabowo’s effort to move closer to Trump had created political backlash at home. And once again, his government was forced into defending itself against accusations that it was compromising Indonesian sovereignty.
At last year’s UNGA, Prabowo publicly offered considerable Indonesian resources in support of a Gaza settlement, pledging a financial contribution and potentially “20,000 or even more” peacekeepers in the territory. He also took the notable step of promising Indonesian recognition of Israel once Israel recognized a Palestinian state. In February, Prabowo participated in President Donald Trump’s inaugural Board of Peace meeting and linked Indonesia’s troops commitment to a U.S.-led stabilization force for Gaza. During the meeting, Prabowo declared that Indonesia “completely agree[d]” with and was “fully committed” to Trump’s 20-point plan, praised Trump’s leadership, and expressed optimism that the plan could achieve “real peace.”
Read the full article in Foreign Policy.
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