[Event] World Order Lab’s Global Order, Statecraft, and Contemporary Security Discourse #1
The Ambalat block has long been a contested maritime area between Indonesia’s North Kalimantan and Malaysia’s Sabah in the Sulawesi Sea. Spanning roughly 15,000 sq km of oil-and-gas-rich seabed, it holds valuable petroleum reserves for both countries. Jakarta and Putrajaya, recently, have begun to frame Ambalat not as a provocation but as an opportunity for joint resource management. Both countries now privilege shared gains over zero-sum claims, but does this ASEAN-style pragmatism resolve disputes or merely defer them?
To scrutinize the evolving dynamics of the Ambalat block and its implications for Indonesia– Malaysia relations and the wider regional order, with particular attention to the prospects of cooperation, the risks of concession, and the potential for ASEAN-led dispute management, the World Order Lab, in collaboration with the Asian Institute of International Affairs and Diplomacy (AIIAD) and Global Affairs Minds, is organizing a webinar entitled “Indonesia–Malaysia in the Ambalat/Sulawesi Sea Block: Cooperation, Concession, and the Future of Regional Order.” The purpose of this webinar is to critically engage with the strategic choices facing Indonesia and Malaysia and explore pathways towards a comprehensive roadmap beyond joint development.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, September 12, 2025
Time:
3:30 PM to 5.00 PM (Jakarta/Bangkok/Hanoi time - GMT+7)
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM (Philippines/Singapore/Malaysia time - GMT+8)
Venue: Online via Zoom Meeting
We are pleased to be joined by distinguished panelists, including:
Dr. Mohammad Zaki Ahmad - Director, Asian Institute of International Affairs and Diplomacy, Universiti Utara Malaysia; and
Josephine Pau - Assistant Professor of Law, Universitas Indonesia;
The webinar will be moderated by Najiah Babar, Co-Founder of Global Affairs Minds. It will be conducted in English and is open to World Order Lab members and the general public.
Register here: https://forms.gle/GAJtgRCeT4Ujr7HHA.
Learn more about the event: Concept Note & Program
For more information, please contact us at info@worldorderlab.com.
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