The author reads President Prabowo’s presence at the New Delhi BRICS summit (12–13 September 2026) as more than protocol: Indonesia is shifting “free and active” non-alignment toward strategic multi-alignment—engage many sides, keep autonomy, and act as a BRICS–ASEAN bridge.

BRICS is treated as a messy multipolar forum, not an anti-Western bloc (India–China rivalry, Brazil and South Africa seeking voice, Russia on its own track). India is pitched as a partner for markets and, eventually, submarines alongside Germany and Russia.

The warning: BRICS must not hollow out ASEAN centrality. Multi-alignment only pays if Jakarta also industrializes (EVs, downstream processing, jobs) and uses G20 and other clubs without getting “burned” by great-power fights.

The participation of the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, in the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026 means more than just the participation of the Head of State of Indonesia in a summit of leaders of major emerging economies. In the context of increasing geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation, changes in global supply chains, and global governance, the participation of President Prabowo Subianto and leaders of other BRICS countries is important.

Viewed from an economic perspective, the participation of President Prabowo Subianto in the summit is significant. However, there are important strategic implications that need to be viewed from a different perspective. The participation of President Prabowo Subianto signifies that Indonesia’s foreign policy, which has long been called “free and active,” is being transformed into a strategy of strategic multi-alignment, different from non-alignment in the past. Strategic multi-alignment is a strategy of influencing others while engaging with several parties, in order to strengthen the strategic autonomy of........

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