DIPLOMASI EKONOMI INDONESIA UNTUK KEBERLANJUTAN HILIRISASI NIKEL MELALUI NEGOSIASI IEU-CEPA PASCA-SENGKETA DI WTO: PERSPEKTIF RESOURCE NATIONALISM

This study analyzes Indonesia's economic diplomacy strategy in responding to the European Union's WTO complaint regarding the nickel ore export ban, with a focus on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. This study argues that Indonesia has pursued adaptive economic diplomacy, an approach that flexibly shifts forums and diplomatic instruments in response to changing external pressures, distinguishing it from conventional economic diplomacy. Three key patterns are identified: positioning nickel as a critical raw material, redirecting the dispute from the WTO to bilateral IEU-CEPA negotiations, and integrating ESG principles as an instrument of international legitimacy. However, ESG integration remains at the level of policy commitment rather than verified compliance, and Indonesia's resource nationalism is partial in nature, evident in export policy and value-added gains, yet limited in technological sovereignty and downstream industry ownership. This research addresses a gap in the literature by proposing an adaptive economic diplomacy framework rooted in resource nationalism theory, wherein IEU-CEPA is understood as a strategic stepping stone toward more substantive industrial sovereignty.