LEADERSHIP TRAIT ANALYSIS AND INDONESIA’S FOREIGN POLICY IN THE CASE OF ACFTA DURING YUDHOYONO’S PRESIDENCY (2004-2014)

Abstract

In many instances of discussion surrounding foreign policy decision-making process and the products that comes afterwards, linked with state or in a general term any unit equal to state. More often than not, a specific approach towards individuals/human decision makers or actor specificity in international relations often left aside. The study as such is the Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) which takes into account affecting factors between the decision-making process and its makers, the ground of international relations is individuals, and these individuals are not unitary actor. Therefore, questions surrounding one’s personalities, leadership traits, and styles can be learned, and even to an extend of how much have they affected the foreign policy of a particular state. This research attempts to answer such question by conducting Leadership Trait Analysis (LTA) on the 6th Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Along with it, since a plethora of studies of FPA, LTA and political leadership involving mostly Western political leaders (the U.S. and the U.K.), emerging powers often left with a little to no attention. Thus, this research posed itself as an addition to the studies mentioned. The results from LTA on this research are then compared with how Yudhoyono had performed on several domestic and international issues, and a specific case study to see whether Yudhoyono’s leadership style has affected Indonesia’s foreign policy strongly or weakly. It is found that, the result of Yudhoyono’s leadership style from LTA does presents strongly on several domestic and international issues discussed on this research, alongside it does strongly present in ACFTA.