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Since the end of the Cold War democratization and human rights have become priorities in the policies of donor countries in giving aid to developing nations. They use these issues to urge aid recipients to accept universal democratic principles such as political freedom, freedom of speech, press freedom, the role of civil society, independent judiciary, political pluralism, good governance etc. The question for this sub-topic: to what extent have the donor countries played their role in the process of Indonesian democratization? What are their strategies to achieve their democratic objectives in Indonesia? What is their evaluation of the progress or setback of democratization in Indonesia?

Indonesia has gone through a delicate process of democratization since the collapse of Soeharto’s authoritarian regime in 1998. The process of democratization is influenced not only by domestic factors like the operation of modern political institutions but also by international variables. Therefore, analysis of the process of democratization should take into account the international context of that process. How does the state or those who represent the state react to international influences and pressures? To what extent do the international actors (state and non state) affect the progress of democratization in Indonesia? This sub-topic aims at explaining the interaction between the state and international actors in determining the outcome of democratization. Of particular importance in this sub-topic is the influence of international actors on the progress of civil society movements in Indonesia.

Democratization in Indonesia is part of the global movement towards democracy and political liberalization. It is necessary to put this phenomenon in the context of international relations so that Indonesia might take some important lessons from other countries’ experiences. The diffusion of democratic values through the use of information technology and communications plays an important role in the globalization of democracy. At the same time democratization itself is required to make a productive response to globalization challenges. Does globalization encourage or hinder democratization?

Democratization involves changes in the pattern of interactions between the state and civil society. NGOs as part of civil society play an important role as they have the capacity and resources to counterbalance the domination of the state over society. On top of that, the success of democratization is also determined by the empowerment of civil society. Both domestic and international NGOs are involved in a complexity of global networks to support democratization in Indonesia. The question is: what are the strategies of the Indonesian and international NGOs to counterbalance the role of political parties? Can they provide alternative strategies of democratization? How do they deal with the consolidation of state power? What is their role in the process of democratic consolidation?

On the crucial issues in new democratic states is how to build national security and political stability without sacrificing democracy itself. The question is: how do the Indonesian leaders manage to democratize the issue of national security? Should national security always imply the indispensability of the role of the military in decision making? How to give more priority to human security so that we can have a guarantee of the protection of human rights? Can we achieve the seemingly two contradictory goals of democracy and national security while facing the threat of global terrorism? How can Indonesia reconcile democracy and security without reproducing authoritarianism and de-civilization of the state like in the previous regime?