By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Indonesia and Gulf countries have experienced an increasingly harmonious relationship in recent years. Moreover, this relationship spreads beyond the economic realm, as both sides continue strengthening cooperation in the political and cultural spheres, making it especially important to review. Yet, even considering these shifts, there have been few academic studies that comprehensively examine this multilateral cooperative relationship.

It is this deficiency that has inspired this work. It is presented as the first book to discuss and explore in detail the cooperation between Indonesia and the Gulf countries.

Various historical events that have enlivened the dynamism of relations between Indonesia and the Gulf countries are summarised here. Without exception, the historical momentum in relation to Indonesia of all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates – are presented here.

The relationship is analysed in three main areas: (1) Politics and security; (2) economy; and (3) culture. Important events in the three areas are then described periodically from the beginning of the relationship until its end at the time of writing in August 2021. Beyond this, the authors also discuss the potential future of these relationships.

It is hoped that this work can offer new insights into the dynamics of relations between Indonesia and the Gulf countries. It is the sincere hope of the author that this work can be a reference for students and researchers, especially those who are interested in the topic of Middle Eastern studies and Indonesian foreign policy issues towards the Middle East.

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