Indonesia–European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in Indonesia’s State Media: The European Union as a Three-Faced Hegemon
摘要
In this chapter, 700 articles in Indonesian state media published between 2016 and 2022 will be analysed. In the government’s media outlets, the EU is equally framed as a benevolent and predatory hegemon. However, by drawing heavily on Sukarno’s understanding of international relations, benevolence and predatory are presented as two sides of the same coin. Further, in the identity framing, a specific image of the EU emerges that is neither predatory nor benevolent: the EU is also presented as an amoral hegemon. This framing of the EU sets the scene for framing Indonesia’s identity as the Non-Aligned Movement leader predestined to lead the developed world to replace the EU and other established forces of the international system. This is then used to justify the conclusion of a trade agreement with the EU. We see how colonialism is also crucial in the framing, yet it contributes to the predatory and amoral framing of the EU.