“Middle power (countries) have a significant advantage in promoting peace and stability because of their impartial agility,” he explained during an online discussion held by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), which was accessed from here on Friday.
Apart from being impartial, middle power countries also tend to be flexible and non-confrontational, he said.
Unlike major powers, middle powers tend to refrain from engaging in power struggles, making them well-suited for mediating disputes and building constructive measures, he added.
Among the middle power countries, the MIKTA group, which consists of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia, is a key player that is poised to make a major contribution to solving global issues, according to Tharyat.
MIKTA is a geographically, culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse group.
“This showcases how middle powers can leverage their collective influence to address global issues,” he said.
In the midst of growing minilateralism, middle power countries like MIKTA could also play an important role in ensuring that such cooperation initiatives complement, and do not undermine, the existing multilateral framework, Tharyat added.
“Right now, those minilateralism are becoming more of the norm instead of the exception,” he noted.
In the midst of a number of forums such as the Group of 20 (G20), G7, and BRICS, which have different perspectives on many substantive issues, middle powers such as MIKTA must act as constructive intermediaries between minilateral groups and broader multilateral institutions, he said.
This can be done by encouraging dialogue and cooperation as well as preventing potential divisions on the global stage.
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