Indonesia’s UNIFIL Dilemma: Balancing Strategic Autonomy and Peacekeeping Risks after the 2026 Casualties
Article Sidebar
Page Numbers:
2186-2210
Digital Object Identifier:
10.58578/mikailalsys.v4i2.10649
Viewed: 0 times
Downloaded: 0 times
Downloaded: 0 times
LYAS Publisher cordially invites qualified professionals to serve as Editors or Reviewers. Your expertise will make an important contribution to maintaining and strengthening the academic quality of our publications. Interested applicants are kindly requested to complete the application form at the following link: Editors & Reviewers
Please feel free to contact us if you need any further information about the submission process or if you have any additional questions.
Authors:
Maria Anatasya Sekar Pamungkas1*, Fauzia Gustarina Cempaka Timur2, Rodon Pedrason3 
Copyright :
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.
Main Article Content
Abstract
Although Indonesia’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations has received considerable scholarly attention, research specifically addressing the intersection of defense diplomacy, strategic autonomy, and rising peacekeeping risks within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remains limited. This study aimed to analyze how Indonesia balances its defense diplomacy objectives and strategic autonomy amid escalating operational risks affecting peacekeeping personnel in southern Lebanon. A qualitative approach with a descriptive-analytical case study design was employed, relying on purposively selected documentary sources relevant to Indonesia’s participation in UNIFIL. Data were collected through document analysis of United Nations reports, UNIFIL publications, Indonesian government documents, policy statements, academic literature, and reputable international media sources. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis through data reduction, categorization, interpretation, and synthesis of recurring themes. The findings indicate that deteriorating security conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly transformed the operational environment of peacekeeping missions, increasing personnel vulnerability and operational unpredictability for troop-contributing countries, including Indonesia. Despite these growing risks, Indonesia has maintained its participation in UNIFIL while strengthening institutional preparedness, diplomatic engagement, and force protection considerations. The findings further suggest that Indonesia’s continued participation reflects a strategic balancing process between maintaining international legitimacy and responding to domestic accountability concerning personnel safety. This study contributes to defense diplomacy and strategic autonomy literature by demonstrating that peacekeeping participation increasingly requires institutional adaptation under volatile and high-risk operational conditions. The study concludes that stronger institutional preparedness and multilateral coordination are essential to sustaining Indonesia’s peacekeeping commitments in increasingly unstable conflict environments. Its implications include theoretical contributions to peacekeeping and defense diplomacy scholarship and practical relevance for policymakers in strengthening deployment preparedness and peacekeeper protection mechanisms.
Downloads
Article Details
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
References
Anwar, D. F. (2014). Indonesia’s peacekeeping operations: History, practice, and future trend. In C. Aoi & Y.-K. Heng (Eds.), Asia-Pacific Nations in International Peace Support and Stability Operations (pp. 189–210). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137366955_8
Aprila, D., & Dwiharyadi, A. (2026). Big data integration in auditing: Technological, institutional, and ethical perspectives. Invoice: Jurnal Ilmu Akuntansi, 8(1), 88–102. https://journal.unismuh.ac.id/index.php/invoice/article/view/21394
Azizah, N., Maksum, A., & Hidayahtulloh, M. A. (2020). Enhancing women contribution in peace, conflict resolution and security agenda: Indonesian female peacekeepers in the United Nations peacekeeping operations (Garuda Contingent-KONGA). Revista UNISCI, 2020(53), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.31439/UNISCI-86
Bintang, I., Susilowati, R., & Yusa, M. Y. (2022). Indonesia efforts in achieve resolution on female peacekeepers in the United Nations year 2020. Frequency of International Relations (FETRIAN), 4(1), 144–185. https://doi.org/10.25077/fetrian.4.1.144-185.2022
Clayton, G., & Dorussen, H. (2022). The effectiveness of mediation and peacekeeping for ending conflict. Journal of Peace Research, 59(2), 150–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343321990076
Cottey, A., & Forster, A. (2004). Reshaping defence diplomacy: New roles for military cooperation and assistance (Adelphi Paper No. 365). Oxford University Press for the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Hermanto, S. (2025). Enhancing the role of peacekeeping forces in improving international perception and the diplomatic image of Indonesia. Jurnal Academia Praja, 8(2), 275–285. https://doi.org/10.36859/jap.v8i2.4547
Husana, S. M., Danial, D., & Sitamala, A. (2026). Legal imbalances in UN peacekeeping operations: Peacekeeper status, accountability, and the protection of Indonesian peacekeepers under international humanitarian law. Dialogia Iuridica, 18(1), 48–81. https://doi.org/10.28932/di.v18i1.14575
Karlsrud, J. (2015). The UN at war: Examining the consequences of peace-enforcement mandates for the UN peacekeeping operations in the CAR, the DRC and Mali. Third World Quarterly, 36(1), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2015.976016
Khoirunnisa, K., & Adeliya, A. D. (2023). Perаn Female Peаcekeepers Indonesia dаlаm Misi Perdamaian United Nаtions Interim Force In Lebаnon (UNIFIL) Tаhun 2015–2017. Global Insight Journal, 8(1), 56–81. https://doi.org/10.52447/gij.v8i1.7037
Khoirunnisa, T. A., Jannah, R. A. F., Qonita, M., & Tjondrodewi, D. C. (2022). Kontribusi Indonesia dalam Peacekeeping Mission di Lebanon sebagai Implementasi Diplomasi Pertahanan. Transformasi Global, 9(1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jtg.009.01.6
Lee, P. (2017). Strategic coupling: East Asian industrial transformation in the new global economy Henry Wai-chung Yeung. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 17(2), 332–335. https://doi.org/10.1093/irap/lcx001
Oktreza, K., Pedrason, R., & Hadisancoko, R. E. (2024). Defense diplomacy strategies through peacekeeping missions: A comparison of China and Indonesia. Jurnal Syntax Imperatif: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Pendidikan, 5(4), 614–622. https://doi.org/10.36418/syntaximperatif.v5i4.454
Rahmadhani, P., Apriwan, A., & Setyaka, V. (2023). Perubahan Kebijakan Luar Negeri Amerika Serikat dalam Mengatasi Imigran Ilegal di Perbatasan dengan Meksiko. Politics, Humanities, Laws, International Relations and Social Journal, 2(2), 39–53. https://doi.org/10.25077/palito.2.2.39-53.2023
Rahmadhani, P., Perwita, A. A. B., & Ramsi, O. (2025). Building regional readiness: Indonesia’s leadership in enhancing AHA Centre’s disaster response capabilities. International Journal of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, 3(3), 907–928. https://doi.org/10.58578/ijhess.v3i3.6951
Santoso, T. B. (2024). Analisis Kepentingan Indonesia dalam Melakukan Pengiriman Pasukan Kontingen Garuda XXIIII ke Lebanon. Diplomacy and Global Security Journal, 1(1), 424–434. https://doi.org/10.36859/dgsj.v1i1.3040
Sejati, M. D., Pedrason, R., & Inkiriwang, F. W. (2024). Defense diplomacy in peacekeeping missions: A comparative analysis of the United States and India. Aksaqila International Humanities and Social Sciences [AIHSS] Journal, 3(2), 89–96. https://doi.org/10.30596/aihss.v3i2.545
Sugiyono. (2024). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Willasey-Wilsey, T. (2020). No go world: How fear is redrawing our maps and infecting our politics. International Affairs, 96(2), 532–534. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaa037