Makassar, 28 January 2026 — The Eastern Indonesia Network on Foreign Policy (EINPOL), in collaboration with the Department of International Relations at Hasanuddin University, held Mini Course Series #3 entitled “Strategic Competition in the Cyber Space of the Indo-Pacific” on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, online via Zoom Meeting.
This activity aims to improve academic and policy understanding of the strategic role of cyberspace in the dynamics of competition between countries in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly amid increasing national dependence on digital technology and cyber infrastructure.
This mini course features Dr. Gatra Priyandita, Senior Analyst at ASPI’s Cyber, Technology and Security Program, as the keynote speaker. The event is moderated by Abdul Razaq Cangara, lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Hasanuddin University, who will guide the interactive discussion and facilitate dialogue between the speakers and participants.
In his presentation, Dr. Gatra explained that cyberspace is a multidimensional concept consisting of four main layers, namely the physical, logical, content, and social layers. These four layers form an interconnected cyber ecosystem, making cyberspace increasingly strategic, yet vulnerable to various cyber-enabled threats. Countries now view cyberspace as an important domain that directly affects national security and regional stability.
The discussion then highlighted the main challenges of global cyber security, particularly the increasing internet threats that are not always matched by the capacity of countries to respond to them. The technological capability gap highlights the importance of international cooperation in cyberspace, especially to ensure technological inclusion for developing countries in the Indo-Pacific. In the context of global governance, the discussion also referred to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/237, which emphasizes norms of responsible state behavior in cyberspace.
Furthermore, this session discussed the phenomenon of weaponization of cyberspace, including cyber espionage practices, as part of strategic competition between countries in the Indo-Pacific region. To address these threats, various countermeasures and protective measures were also discussed, one of which was through a government attribution mechanism as an effort to increase accountability, enforce international norms, and prevent conflict escalation in cyberspace.
Mini Course Series #3 was held collaboratively by EINPOL together with the Department of International Relations at Hasanuddin University, Mataram University, West Sulawesi University, and supported by Australia Awards Indonesia (AAI). This activity was attended by participants from various backgrounds, ranging from students, academics, to observers of security and foreign policy issues.
Through this mini course, participants are expected to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities for cyber cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and be able to relate this to the context of regional security and Indonesia’s national interests.
