Conservative
Dr. Wibawa Nugroho Widodo is a theistic creationist and existentialist who is considered by many as one of the kind progressive conservative. His philosophical, political, and economic points of view are centered on his theistic existentialism view. Wibawa was born into a family that puts God as the center of the family life. He comes from a solid, well-established family that believes in the education as a gateway for success. He spent his elementary, junior-high, and high school education at the Catholic private schools.
He earned his Ph.D. (Exon.) in 2018 after working full-time for four years on his research under the supervision of Dr. Omar Ashour and Dr. Jonathan Githens-Mazer at the Institute at Arab and Islamic Studies, College of Social Sciences and International Studies at University of Exeter, U.K. His Ph.D. study focusing on the field of national security and strategy was also sponsored by the Indonesian government. His Ph.D. thesis is a new kind of research in the respective field, titled Understanding the Existence and Latent Threat of Islamist Terrorism: The Case of Republic of Indonesia. He uses both qualitative, quantitative methods (advanced multivariate statistical analysis), and social network analysis in his Ph.D. research.
His Ph.D. study was recommended by the Indonesian Defense Minister (2004 - 2009) H.E. Professor Juwono Sudarsono, Professor Audrey Kurth Cronin, and the Indonesian Secretary to the Coordinating Ministry of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (2010 - 2012) H.E. Dr. Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan. Later his Ph.D. thesis was examined by notable security, Islamic and Arabic scholars: Professor Hamed El-Said; Professor Timothy Niblock; and Professor Marc Valeri under the leadership of Professor Sajjad Rizvi as the Ph.D. program director.
Dr. Wibawa Nugroho Widodo has three Master’s Degrees: Master of Arts in International Business & Management from the School of Management at University of Bradford, U.K. in 2003; Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies and War College Diploma in International Security Strategy and Combating Terrorism from the U.S. National Defense University in 2007; and Master of Public Policy from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, Virginia in 2013. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with Management from Universitas Trisakti, Indonesia in 2001.
A number of Wibawa’s academic credentials include a Fulbright Presidential Scholar, an International Fellow at U.S. National Defense University graduating with an honor thesis, a member of Phi-Beta-Delta Honor Society for International Scholars, and a scholarship awardee of Indonesian Government’s Endowment Fund for Education. During his advance educational years, he worked under some notable professors in their respective fields ranging from Professor Thomas Marks, Professor William Liddle, Professor Audrey Cronin, Professor Omar Ashour, and Professor Jonathan Githens-Mazer.
Notably noted, his honor thesis at U.S. National Defense University in 2007 titled Indonesian Armed Forces' Roles, Strategies and Capabilities in Counter Terrorism within a Changing National Security: Looking Ahead 2007 – 2017 becomes a main reference for transforming the grand strategy and general approach of Indonesian counter terrorism efforts. In 2008 he was also a principal speaker representing Republic of Indonesia at the 2008 U.S. Army TRADOC-hosted global symposium on Future Joint Operational Environment (JOE) toward 2025.