Muhammad Garda Ramadhito

On 24 August 2025, the former academic Peter Berkowitz delivered a lecture at the National Leadership Academy (AKN NU), the highest tier of cadre training by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Islamic mass organisation. Berkowitz, now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, served as Director of Policy Planning at the State Department during Donald Trump’s first presidential administration and maintains extensive ties to pro-Israel and neoconservative foreign policy networks.

Jakarta’s recent engagement with Washington reflects a calculated attempt to secure influence and economic concessions in an uncertain geopolitical environment. However, shifting US trade policies and escalating tensions with Iran show why Indonesia must continually assess whether the relationship remains reciprocal and strategically prudent. For months, Indonesia worked to defuse the threat of steep US tariffs on its exports.