A Comparative Study of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Policy Objectives in Indonesia

Looking from a geographical perspective, Indonesia and the two most influential Islamic countries that promotes two major denominations of Islam, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, are located in different parts of the world. However, holding the ground for the majority of Muslim in the world makes Indonesia a suitable place for Iran and Saudi Arabia to exercise their influence. Since Iran and Saudi Arabia have a set of contradictory ideologies, the need to expand their influence is competitive. This article seeks to make a comparative study between Iranian and Saudi Arabian's foreign policy objectives in Indonesia. The article starts by analyzing the foreign policy objectives of the two countries in Indonesia. Then, a comparative study is made between them. The main theory used in this work is based on neorealism to ascertain the objectives of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The article uses secondary data that have been used in the literature. The article concludes that although these objectives have started becoming more economical, the religious aspect continues to play a dominant role in the foreign policy objectives of the two countries