SIYAR Journal

From Oil to Culture

Indra Tamsyah — 2026-01-31

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 positions tourism and cultural industries as strategic sectors for reducing oil dependence and strengthening the Kingdom’s global competitiveness. This article examines Riyadh Season as a public diplomacy instrument through Cowan and Arsenault’s (2008) three-layer framework—monologue, dialogue, and collaboration. Using qualitative content analysis of (1) Riyadh Season’s logos and slogans across editions (2019–2023), (2) official and promotional digital content (including the promotional video released on 28 September 2025), and (3) documentation of international partnership initiatives (e.g., Beast Land), the study identifies a layered strategy. In the monologue layer, annual revisions in visual and linguistic identity (including the move toward an English-only framing such as “Big Time!”) communicate a controlled narrative of modernity and global openness. In the dialogue layer, the use of global creators (MrBeast, KSI, and IShowSpeed) enables audience interaction and user-generated responses on social platforms, positioning publics as active interpreters rather than passive recipients. In the collaboration layer, co-created projects such as Beast Land demonstrate network-building with non-state actors and shared cultural production. Overall, Riyadh Season illustrates an evolution from symbolic messaging toward more interactive and collaborative public diplomacy aligned with Saudi Arabia’s transformation agenda.

The Implications of QRIS Cross-Border for the Digital Economic Sovereignty of Indonesia in Southeast Asia

Julang Aryowiloto — 2026-01-31

This research aims to investigate the implications of QRIS Cross-Border as a digital payment method for Indonesia's digital economic sovereignty within Southeast Asia. The study specifically analyzes the implementation of QRIS Cross-Border in three countries, namely Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, given the significant positive trend evidenced by increasing transaction volumes. Grounded in the concept of economic sovereignty, this study analyzes Indonesia's strategic position within the regional digital economy, its potential to influence the digital economic landscape, and its contributions to the realization of the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025. The research employs a qualitative, explanatory approach to examine the relationship between QRIS Cross-Border and Indonesia's digital economic sovereignty in the region. Data for this study were sourced from various channels, including books, journal articles, reports, policy papers, and media publications, in both print and online formats. In conclusion, this study affirms that the implementation of QRIS Cross-Border has significant implications for Indonesia's digital economic sovereignty. Indonesia's strategic position and bargaining power within the regional digital economy have been enhanced. Furthermore, through QRIS Cross-Border, Indonesia is well-positioned to play a crucial role in regional digital economy initiatives and has a significant opportunity to shape the future of Southeast Asia's digital economic landscape.

Women Victim of Violence and Food Security in Indonesia-Timor Leste Border Region

Adeodata Laniria Charla Barros Mbiri — 2026-01-31

This study examines how women survivors of domestic violence in the Indonesia–Timor-Leste border district of North Central Timor (TTU), Nusa Tenggara Timur, contribute to household food security while advancing gender equality. Using interactionist role theory as an analytical lens, we trace how empowerment initiatives facilitated by the local NGO YABIKU and the TTU Office for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection enable survivors to renegotiate the socially imposed “victim” role. Qualitative data were collected through observation, interviews, and document review and analyzed using Creswell’s coding and interpretation procedures. The findings show that violence in TTU is reinforced by patriarchal norms and weak household economies; therefore, livelihood-oriented empowerment becomes a practical form of violence mitigation. Survivors enact new roles through household horticulture, small livestock raising, local-food microenterprises, and environmental stewardship, improving daily food access and generating income. Collective organizing also produced institutional change, including Local Regulation No. 14 of 2016 on women’s protection and the formation of paralegal networks that assist violence cases. Overall, the study demonstrates that role transformation through food-security activities strengthens women’s agency, reduces vulnerability to repeated violence, and supports more equitable community governance in the border region

Indonesia's Energy Transition Policy in the Perspective of Political Economy Under Geopolitical Risk

Ica Cahayani — 2026-01-31

This study discusses Indonesia's energy transition policy amid geopolitical risks and global economic and political instability based on the perspectives of energy economics, power structures, economic dependence, and trade wars. Energy transition is proposed due to its increasing popularity as Indonesia promotes clean energy and aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2060 amid geopolitical issues and global economic and political instability. The selection of Indonesia's energy transition policy is to determine the significance and urgency of this policy from an economic policy perspective. This study analyzes Indonesia's energy transition policy from an economic policy perspective through the dimensions of power structures, economic dependence, and trade wars. This study uses a narrative literature review and adopts a research design to extract research data. The data comes from a review of relevant literature found based on predetermined keywords on the topic of the development of Indonesia's energy transition policy. Indonesia's energy transition policy amid the risk of geopolitical instability shows a dynamic that continues to change depending on geopolitical conditions, the international power structure, and ongoing trade wars. This study proves that the energy transition policy is driven by the Indonesian government's commitment to become an zero emission country. The international push for energy transition has an external influence on Indonesia's energy transition policy-making. In its energy transition policy, the Indonesian government faces a major dilemma, structural power challenges, economic/funding dependence, and the existence of national fossil fuels that frame the energy transition policy.

Boomerang Strategy and Feminist Resistance

Putu Ratih Kumala Dewi — 2026-01-31

The increasing rate of femicide in Türkiye has raised serious human rights concerns, yet state responses remain inadequate and often repressive toward civil society organizations. This article analyzes how the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (WWSF), a leading local NGO, formulates and implements its advocacy strategies amidst shrinking civic space and governmental hostility. Drawing on normative feminism theory, Keck and Sikkink’s boomerang pattern and the framework of transnational advocacy networks (TANs), this study explores how WWSF navigates around domestic constraints by forging international alliances to exert external pressure on the Turkish government. This approach allows a contextual and in-depth understanding of the dynamics between local repression and transnational advocacy. This article employs a qualitative research method using literature study, drawing data from academic publications, official reports, news articles, and organizational documents related to WWSF and femicide in Türkiye. The findings reveal that WWSF engages in transnational mobilization through partnerships with international NGOs, global media outreach, and strategic use of international norms, especially following Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention and state-led efforts to dissolve the organization. This article contributes to the discourse in International Relations by highlighting a bottom-up perspective on global human rights advocacy, emphasizing the agency of non-state actors in challenging authoritarian practices through cross-border solidarity.

When Law Speaks, Economy Acts

Firqah Annajiyah Mansyuroh — 2026-01-31

This study analyzes the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s unilateral import tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which disrupted the multilateral trading system and triggered global protectionism. Using a normative legal approach grounded in international trade law, it examines the implications of these tariffs for Indonesia’s economic resilience and highlights the halal industry as an adaptive strategy. Findings show that Trump’s tariffs violate WTO principles such as Most-Favoured-Nation and non-discrimination, weakening multilateral legitimacy. Yet, this disruption offers Indonesia a chance to strengthen its halal industry through market diversification, domestic value chains, and ethical competitiveness. The study concludes that the halal sector represents a lawful and sustainable pathway to economic resilience amid declining global multilateralism.

The Taliban's Media Strategy in Changing Global Public Perception

Nadhifah Amalia — 2026-01-31

This study aims to analyze the Taliban's media strategy in shaping its global image after the occupation of Afghanistan in 2021. Using qualitative descriptive research methods and the war of ideas theoretical framework, this descriptive-qualitative study examines how the Taliban utilizes social media, press conferences, and engagement with international media to construct a positive narrative and gain global legitimacy. The results show that the Taliban uses narrative warfare, public diplomacy, and digital propaganda as instruments of soft power. These strategies have been relatively successful in expanding legitimacy through foreign media coverage, influencer engagement, and tourism promotion. However, there are still limitations related to opposition and official recognition from other countries, caused by inconsistent policies on women's and minority rights. These findings confirm that the success of the Taliban's media strategy is partial, as internal structural factors and obstacles to global legitimacy remain major challenges.