Photo: Cao Shiyun/People's Daily

Jakarta (People's Daily) - The Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia held a study conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, spotlighting the growing role of "middle powers" in global affairs.

The conference promoted the concept of "middle powers" in international relations as a group of about 20 countries "punching above their weight" in diplomatic, economic, military technological capabilities as well as strategic ambition.

Dino Patti Djalal, founder and chairman of the foreign policy think tank, said the world was entering a "middle power moment," in which countries from both the Global North and the Global South are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the future international order.

He pointed to the US-Iran conflict and the growing influence of the BRICS emerging economies as evidence of a shifting global landscape.

"It is our view that we are seeing a middle power moment now," Dino said. "The world is shifting and transforming, and the group of middle powers from both the North and the Global South ‒ about 20 countries ‒ will play a significant role in shaping the future.

"The US-Iran conflict, for example, reflects tensions between a superpower and a middle power."

The chairman called for Indonesia to develop a "dedicated middle power strategy."

"The assumption is that these middle powers will play an important role in shaping the next global order," he said. "Their role is not preordained, but we are already seeing expanding bilateral linkages including Indonesia's partnerships with Australia, France, India and South Korea."

The Middle Power Study Conference, themed "Alignments and Realignments in the Next World Order: Middle Powers' Strategic Choices," featured three sessions: responding to shifts in US foreign policy, recalibration of partnerships amid global transition, and the role of middle powers in strengthening multilateralism and regional cooperation in an increasingly fragmented world.