On 20 October 2024, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister David Lammy attended the inauguration of Indonesia’s recently appointed president, Prabowo Subinato. England has made it clear; that its goal is to strengthen British ties with Indo-Pacific nations and to increase Western influence in the region through economic means. At the same time, David Lammy is also looking to strengthen the United Kingdom’s relationship with South Korea to deter both Russia and the D.P.R.K.

Prabowo Subinato is now serving as the eighth president of Indonesia. In 1998, he graduated from the Indonesian military academia and became the strategic reserve command of the special forces. However, within one year, he was accused of alleged human rights violations. Despite running for the presidency in 2008, he was only successful when he became the running mate for the widely popular Joko Widodo. Many claim he was responsible for the Karas Massacres, which led to the death of more than 1,000 Indonesians. With support from Joko Widodo, he won by a landslide and appointed former president Widodo’s son to be his vice president. He is now 73 and according to many citizens, he has strong economic policies.

Although he has a controversial past there are a few reasons as to why England would want to strengthen its relationship with the former Minister of Defense. Indonesia has a growing G20 economy and a strong democracy in the region. It has a strong influence on the global economy, promising an increase in two-way trade and mutually beneficial investments. Indonesia is also a leading voice in A.S.E.A.N. (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and welcomes the U.K. as a Dialogue partner. In the future, this cooperation will help increase Western influence in Indo-Pacific nations – and although Indonesia has maintained an ambiguous relationship with both China and the United States, Europe overall is hoping to gain more allies in light of Chinese aggression towards Taiwan. With rising political tensions, even historically neutral states are potential allies for England to increase its security.

Conveniently, the U.K. has also emphasized the importance of green technology – one of Indonesia’s strong suits.

Furthermore, Lammy promised to make a concentrated effort to improve the relationship between England and South Korea. This was in response to rumors surrounding North Korea sending 12,000 troops to support Russia in the Russian/Ukrainian conflict. As the war becomes increasingly more interconnected, anxiety within the international community has risen. There are concerns among Western territories that Russia will provide the D.P.R.K. with nuclear or ballistic missile-related technologies they will use to bolster their military strength. This would violate the nuclear proliferation treaty, as Russia has become more amicable with the idea of providing nuclear technology to North Korea. At the same time, North Korea is purposefully demonstrating its military capabilities and seeking to form more alliances overseas (especially with Russia in particular). South Korea is concerned this will be a precursor to future violence.

England strongly supports Ukraine and opposes North Korea’s decision to participate in the conflict. South Korea shares the same beliefs and defined North Korea’s actions as a dangerous escalation. This relationship benefits the United Kingdom because they want to prevent Russian expansion, and South Korea is anxious to deter North Korea. By supporting each other, they can do more for the Ukrainian forces. There is a high chance South Korea will take a more direct approach and double its efforts to support Ukraine in response. If they can successfully intimidate North Korea, they will have increased their security by discouraging conflict at home.

England is strategically strengthening its connections with Indonesia and South Korea to increase its influence in Asia through economic means. Despite the controversial election, a relationship with Indonesia’s new president Prabowo Subinato, will prove to be beneficial to the United Kingdom as it will create new avenues for trade and allow England to become more involved with A.S.E.A.N. Lastly, with the tension between the United States and China rising, England will find allies where it can. Lastly, this includes South Korea because of the threat Russian expansion poses to European powers. Since North Korea is directly involved in the war, England and South Korea will use Ukraine as a means of increasing their security. Other countries will look to do the same, as the U.S. election continues to cause uncertainty.