Dino Patti Djalal

Dino Patti Djalal entered Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry in 1987 after studying in Canada and Britain. His overseas assignments included London, Dili, and Washington, and he subsequently directed North American affairs. From 2004 to 2010 he served as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s spokesperson and foreign policy adviser. He became ambassador to the United States in 2010. ¹

In February 2012, Djalal and Rabbi Sid Schwarz organized a journey bringing 24 Indonesian and American Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders through Indonesia and the Middle East to Washington. They sought to build relationships that could support Israeli–Palestinian peace. Djalal obtained private financing when the Foreign Ministry declined to fund the project. Participants met religious and political leaders and presented a joint statement to American officials, but disputes over recognition of Israeli and Palestinian statehood led two rabbis to withhold their signatures. ²

His diaspora initiative brought Indonesians and people of Indonesian ancestry together in Los Angeles on 6–8 July 2012. Djalal told interviewers that travel around the United States had introduced him to scientists and entrepreneurs who wanted closer connections with Indonesia, including people who had become foreign citizens. He worked with other Indonesian missions and overseas communities to organize the congress, promoting cooperation across citizenship boundaries. Its program combined business, education, science, and consular discussions with cultural events. ^{3, 4}

After leaving Washington in 2013, Djalal briefly served as vice foreign minister in 2014. He then founded the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia to widen public involvement in international affairs. His subsequent work included leadership of the Indonesian Diaspora Network–Global and the Middle Power Studies Network. In 2025 he visited the University of California, San Diego, as a fellow and lectured on the role of middle powers. ¹