Indonesia should take an active role in resolving the conflict between Yemen’s Houthi group and Saudi Arabia through peace diplomacy, including by using the forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This approach is considered important to prevent further escalation while reaffirming Indonesia’s independent and active foreign policy.
Professor Siti Muti’ah Setiawati, a professor of Middle East Geopolitics at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), said Indonesia is strategically positioned to act as a mediator because it maintains good relations with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. She argued that Indonesia should not side with either party in the conflict but should actively promote peace.
“Based on that principle, Saudi Arabia is Muslim, and Yemen is Muslim too. Indonesia has a Muslim-majority population and is an OIC member, and both countries are also OIC members. That is why we must actively work toward reconciliation,” she said in an interview on Friday (Oct. 16).
She proposed that Indonesia urge the OIC to convene an emergency session to discuss the conflict. Through this forum, member states are expected to coordinate diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and seek a resolution.
“We should urge the OIC to hold an emergency session to address the issue between Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” she said.
Siti Muti’ah explained that the escalation of the Houthi-Saudi conflict also exposes broader problems in global governance. In her view, international institutions, including the United Nations (UN), and international law enforcement mechanisms have yet to fulfill their roles effectively in stopping violence.
She said attacks on another country’s territory are serious matters that international legal mechanisms should address. However, weak enforcement means violations may recur without adequate resolution.
“Who is going to punish, who is going to exercise control, or who is going to reprimand those responsible for these violations? The UN itself seems powerless,” she said.
According to Siti Muti’ah, this situation underscores the need to strengthen global governance so that international institutions do more than provide forums for diplomacy. They must also promote compliance with international law and help stop violence.
She also viewed the Houthi-Saudi conflict in the context of long-standing tensions. Attacks and retaliatory actions by both sides should be understood as part of a prolonged conflict rather than as isolated military incidents.
In her view, Houthi attacks are also linked to the group’s efforts to assert its presence amid its conflict with Saudi Arabia. However, she emphasized that retaliatory actions do not automatically resolve the legal issues arising from attacks against other parties.
Siti Muti’ah further highlighted the strategic relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Economic and defense interests, including oil trade and arms procurement, have long underpinned their ties.
Against this backdrop, she said the US response to Saudi Arabia’s security needs has been limited and warrants closer examination. She noted that strategic interests in the region, including the security of shipping routes, also shape major powers’ calculations.
One area of concern is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. However, she said the conflict’s impact on global oil prices should be assessed based on whether the shipping route is actually disrupted.
“If the Houthis guarantee that they will not disrupt Bab el-Mandeb, I think the impact on oil prices will not be very significant, unlike in the case of the Strait of Hormuz,” she explained.
In the Indonesian context, Siti Muti’ah cautioned that the principle of an independent and active foreign policy should not be interpreted as allowing unrestricted freedom of action or as a reason to remain passive and avoid taking a position on international issues. Rather, the principle gives Indonesia room to determine its position independently while actively contributing to world peace.
“We must not let the principle of an independent and active foreign policy be interpreted as unlimited freedom, allowing everyone to define it as they wish without referring to the principles and objectives of Indonesia’s foreign policy,” Siti Muti’ah said.
She referred to Mohammad Hatta’s thinking on Indonesia’s position amid competition between international powers. Indonesia, she argued, does not need to join any particular power bloc but must remain active in promoting world order and the abolition of colonialism.
“Being in the middle does not mean being neutral. We must continue to actively strive for international peace, contribute to establishing world order, and abolish colonialism from the face of the Earth,” she said.
Siti Muti’ah added that Indonesia must maintain its independence in determining foreign policy, including when faced with invitations to join military alliances. She argued that diplomacy is a better way to resolve conflicts without drawing Indonesia into rivalries between opposing parties.
Indonesia’s role, therefore, should go beyond expressing concern about the conflict. The government needs to make greater use of diplomatic channels, establish communication with the parties involved, and leverage multilateral forums to promote a peaceful resolution.
According to Siti Muti’ah, these steps would also put Indonesia’s independent and active foreign policy into practice: refraining from siding with conflicting powers while continuing to play a role in promoting global peace and order.
Author: M. Aidil Syahputra
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Zabrina Kumara
Photo: AFP