The Role of Strategic Diplomacy in the National Nuclear Power Plant Development Plan in Indonesia in Supporting Energy and National Defense

Abstract

Energy diplomacy as a country's foreign policy agenda in securing access to international energy sources. The significance of energy for a country can always be a cause or proxy for its foreign policy or even its military actions. The plan for the development of nuclear power plants in Indonesia in support of the climate change program is based on global agreements and is able to provide a deterrent effect on national defense. However, until now the role of defense diplomacy in achieving national interests has not been optimal and its achievements are still limited to defense issues only (Sudarsono et al., 2018). This study aims to analyze the role of diplomacy on energy and defense, where diplomacy provides a first treat on energy, thereby realizing national energy security supported by defense diplomacy. This study uses a literature study to collect relevant data related to energy diplomacy, nuclear power plant development plans to support the NDC program, and defense diplomacy. The results of the study indicate that a diplomacy synergy is needed in achieving the national interest. Defense diplomacy can be synergized with energy diplomacy, which in this case is able to accelerate the development of nuclear power plants in Indonesia which provides a multiplier effect both in terms of energy security in the issue of climate change, even to the deterrent effect of Indonesian defense. The effect of diplomacy on energy indicates that diplomacy has a significant role in politics and the economy that a country's energy can create.