MALAYSIA- INDONESIA SOFT POWER AND FOREIGN POLICY: STRENGTHENING BILATERAL RELATIONS THROUGH INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

There is continuity and change in Malaysia‘s foreign policy in the past six decades under the leadership of six Prime Ministers. The ‘returns‘ of Mahathir as the 7 th Prime Minister of Malaysia might probably signal the changes in the contemporary Malaysia‘s foreign policy in responds to the globalization. One of the important sectors that actively embrace the positivity of globalization is higher education. There are a positive capability of higher education institutions (HEIs) as an instrument of Soft Power to strengthen the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Indonesia. With many unsettled security disputes and issues in between Malaysia and Indonesia, Mahathir and Jokowi might be prioritizing their Soft Power strategy. In the Malaysia context, growing numbers and the reputations of HEIs indicate the possibility that higher education to be integrate into enhancing and shaping the foreign policy. This paper highlights the potential of higher education institutions (HEIs) to be an effective platform to enriching the state‘s soft power and strengthening the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Indonesia through the internationalization of higher education.