Abstract:
ABSTRACT
This research was intended to explore the religion influence on the role of
Indonesia’s engagement in ethnic conflict in Rakhine State, Myanmar, between
Arakanese Buddhist and Rohingya Muslims in mid 2012. Since the discussion
would be focused on the influencing factors and the role of Indonesia itself, thus,
this research is categorized as a foreign policy analysis. The religion implication
on the role of Indonesia was observed using and guided by Holistic Constructivism
perspective which underlined that state’s behavior was constituted by identity
which was formed by the values and norms occurred either on the structural
(international norms) or in the sub-systemic area (domestic). The foreign policy
analysis itself, was derived from Constructivist framework, where, the actor was
not considered as a goal-oriented or self-oriented unit which its behavior was the
result of rational calculations or sensible considerations to any benefits or loss to
reach a maximum achievement of any goals, instead it was an object, a social
actors to be precise, that are always embedded in a social context, which heavily
impacts on their behavior. In a deeper look based on these theoretical frameworks,
this research found that the Indonesia’s role in the conflict was a form of identitybased
interest - a behavior constituted by the identity of Indonesia as a home to the
world’s largest Muslim population. In domestic area, the role was taken as a
respond of the insistence and enforcement of the people of Indonesia over the
indication of discrimination to Muslims. While in structural area, it was a
manifestation of a discourse on islam in international affairs; attempt to play a
bigger role in Islamic world, and bridging islam and the west.
