Peningkatan Kerja Sama Keamanan Australia dan Korea Selatan Melalui Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

NUR ARIFAH IRFINA A, Muhammad Irfan Ardhani, S.I.P., MIR

2023 | Skripsi | S1 ILMU HUBUNGAN INTERNASIONAL

Australia dan Korea Selatan merupakan negara-negara middle power yang memiliki kepentingan di Asia-Pasifik, dan oleh karenanya membutuhkan respons yang tepat atas eskalasi tensi AS-Tiongkok pada kawasan tersebut. Penelitian ini berusaha untuk menelaah Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership demi memunculkan pemahaman atas keputusan kedua middle power tersebut melalui perspektif realisme neo-klasik. Dengan menggarisbawahi asumsi bahwa kebijakan politik luar negeri dipengaruhi oleh dinamika sistem internasional serta variabel domestik yang saling berinteraksi, teori ini digunakan untuk menjelaskan pemaknaan atas keterlibatan Australia dan Korea Selatan dalam Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Melalui riset ini, ditemukan perbedaan pemaknaan kerja sama CSP Australia-Korea Selatan yang disebabkan oleh variabel domestik yang berbeda. Australia, pada kerja sama ini, terlihat sedang melakukan balancing terhadap Tiongkok dengan meningkatkan kapabilitas materialnya melalui hubungan bilateral Australia-Korea Selatan. Sementara itu, Korea Selatan terlihat berusaha untuk memperkuat strategi hedging yang digunakannya terhadap tensi AS-Tiongkok melalui Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, dan secara bersamaan memunculkan pilihan ketiga yang mampu menjamin kelangsungan hidupnya.

Australia and South Korea are middle-power countries that have interests in the Asia-Pacific. Therefore, they need the proper responses to the escalation of U.S.-China tension in said region. This research tried to study the Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to generate an understanding of both middle powers' decisions through the perspective of neoclassical realism. By emphasizing the assumption that a foreign policy is influenced by interactions between the international system's dynamics and domestic variables, this theory explains the implication of Australia and South Korea's involvement in the Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Through this research, there were findings of different meanings of the Australia-South Korea CSP caused by different domestic variables. Australia, in this cooperation, seemed to do a balancing act against China by increasing its material capabilities through the bilateral relationship between Australia and South Korea. Meanwhile, South Korea is seen to be strengthening its long-time-used hedging strategy towards U.S.-China tension through the Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. At the same time, it also tried to present a third choice that would be able to secure its survival.

Kata Kunci : Australia-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, middle power, realisme neo-klasik, balancing, hedging