Middle power legitimation strategies: the case of Indonesia and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific

ABSTRACT This article examines how middle powers develop their strategies for influencing other members of international society. This research is important as the literature on middle powers assumes that they possess significant persuasive power, yet does not explain how such persuasive capabilities are developed. This research applies the legitimation strategies framework to the case of Indonesia’s promotion of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). It argues that Indonesia sought to convince ASEAN countries, China, and the United States of the value of its preferred vision of the Indo-Pacific by articulating multiple rhetorics that appealed to the pre-existing interests and beliefs of the target audience. Before the ASEAN audience, Indonesia claimed that its vision was compatible with the principles of non-interference and regional economic development. To influence the United States, Indonesia held that its regional vision would support a rule-based order. To convince China, Indonesia maintained that its vision would create an inclusive regional order. This article, therefore, shows that middle powers seek to develop their persuasive capabilities through enunciations that appeal to the beliefs and interests of multiple audiences simultaneously.