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Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat is an academic from Indonesia whose research focuses on China-Indonesia-Middle East relations.

He spends his time between Indonesia and South Korea, where he is an assistant professor at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Islam Indonesia and a research professor at Korea Institute for ASEAN Studies, Busan University of Foreign Studies.

Beyond these two institutions, Muhammad is also a research affiliate at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore and a research associate at Jakarta-based Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF). Since August 2022, he has served as an associate at IDEAS, the London School of Economics’ foreign policy think-tank. In addition, he has held visiting professor positions at Bina Nusantara University and Universitas Paramadina.

Muhammad received a B.A. in International Affairs from Qatar University, before completing an M.A. in International Politics and a Ph.D in Politics at the University of Manchester in the U.K.

He is a regular contributor to The Diplomat, Asia Sentinel, The Conversation, and the South China Morning Post.

Posts by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
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November 22, 2022

Exploring the Growing Qatar-Indonesia Military Cooperation

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Closer defense ties have addressed divergent but overlapping interests between the two nations.
November 16, 2022

China’s Expanding Health Diplomacy in Indonesia

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama
After economics and trade, the health sector has become a priority focus of Beijing's engagement with Southeast Asia's most populous nation.

September 02, 2022

China’s ‘Think-Tank Diplomacy’ is Gaining Traction in Indonesia

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Partnerships between Indonesian and Chinese research institutes are an increasingly prominent part of Beijing's "soft power" strategy. Are they working?

June 22, 2022

China’s Growing ‘Twiplomacy’ in Indonesia

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Despite being banned inside China, Twitter is broadening Chinese diplomats' engagements with the Indonesian public.

June 10, 2022

Indonesia and Qatar Collaborate on Afghanistan Relief Efforts

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama
The two are Muslim-majority nations that have sought a similar role as international mediators.
March 31, 2022

Indonesia Looks to the UAE for Military Cooperation

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama
Despite their geographic distance, the two nations have increasingly complementary defense and security interests.

February 22, 2022

The Growing China-Indonesia-UAE Trilateral Relations

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the three nations have established a triad of deepening and mutually beneficial relationships.
February 11, 2022

The China Factor in Indonesia’s New Capital City Plan

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama
China’s economic influence in Indonesia will translate into a prominent role in the development of the new capital.

August 18, 2021

How China and Japan are Competing Over Indonesia’s Car Industry

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Chinese carmakers are making quick inroads into Japan's long-standing dominance of the Indonesian auto market.

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