---
title: 'Is Kureiji Ollie Indonesia''s Most Effective Diplomat?'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=vFIYK1s90O8'
video_id: 'vFIYK1s90O8'
date: 2026-07-31
duration_sec: 671
---

# Is Kureiji Ollie Indonesia's Most Effective Diplomat?

> Source: [Is Kureiji Ollie Indonesia's Most Effective Diplomat?](https://youtube.com/watch?v=vFIYK1s90O8)

## Summary

This video explores whether Kureiji Ollie, a member of Hololive Indonesia (HoloID), can be considered Indonesia's most effective diplomat. It argues that while she is not a traditional diplomat, she and other VTubers serve as a powerful soft-power force for Indonesian public diplomacy by building cultural and personal connections with global audiences. The video introduces key concepts like soft power and new public diplomacy, then applies them to Indonesia's geopolitical situation and HoloID's cultural activities.

### Key Points

- **Thesis: VTubers as Unexpected Diplomats** [00:03] — Kureiji Ollie is not literally a diplomat, but she and other HoloID members might be a far more effective force for Indonesian public diplomacy than expected.
- **Soft Power vs. Hard Power** [01:45] — Hard power comes from military might and the ability to use violence to force compliance; soft power comes from cultural ties and personal influence, winning cooperation through goodwill.
- **Homeowners Association Analogy** [02:13] — Soft power is like a homeowners association arranging block parties and kids' art competitions; hard power is driving a main battle tank down the road and demanding you garden.
- **New Public Diplomacy: Country as Brand** [04:12] — New public diplomacy treats a country's image as a brand, using marketing tools and peer-to-peer connections among non-government entities rather than top-down broadcasts via traditional media.
- **Southeast Asia's Geopolitical Friction** [05:25] — Indonesia sits among three superpowers and multiple conflict zones. 'When elephants fight, it is the ground that suffers,' making soft power projection essential for survival and trade.
- **Soft Power Examples from Neighbors** [06:47] — Japan uses anime, J-pop, gaming and tourism; South Korea uses K-pop, K-drama and gaming; Thailand uses gastro diplomacy; the Philippines uses overseas Filipino worker programs.
- **Indonesia's Untapped Global Profile** [07:43] — With 285 million people, being wider than the US, over 700 languages, and the largest economy in Southeast Asia by total GDP, Indonesia remains surprisingly ignored. Brand awareness is a crucial first step in new public diplomacy.
- **HoloID's Folk Music Medley** [09:08] — HoloID's 2024 Indonesian folk music medley promoted Indonesia Day and the motto 'unity in diversity' by unifying folk songs from various islands and cultures. The music video showed members in school uniforms then traditional clothing to reflect diversity.
- **Streams as Emotional Soft-Power Hooks** [10:06] — Every Indonesian VTuber stream gives viewers a chance to become emotionally invested in both the VTuber and Indonesia's interests, making HoloID a key nexus reaching non-Indonesian audiences.

### Conclusion

The video concludes that while Kureiji Ollie is not a traditional diplomat, HoloID's VTubers function as an effective soft-power force by boosting Indonesia's brand awareness and creating personal, emotional ties with international fans. This modern approach to public diplomacy could help a large but often ignored nation gain recognition and influence.

## Transcript

effective diplomat? No, of course not. That is a ridiculous idea. However, Crazy Ollie and the other members of Hollow ID might be a far more effective
force for Indonesian public diplomacy would expect. As I wrote this script, there are protests and strife in Indonesia over government corruption and
the unfortunate deaths of some innocent people. I hope everyone will be safe and secure and that the underlying problems that led to this violence will be resolved to the betterment of all. Support for our C siblings. This video
is strongly based on the paper digital diplomacy whole life Indonesia and a diplomacy whole life Indonesia and a virtual YouTuber as Indonesia's new virtual YouTuber as Indonesia's new public diplomacy by Gastav Galacius and
public diplomacy by Gastav Galacius and Salar Ble and I may have got those names tragically wrong. I am greatly apologetic for that. A full citation and link is in the description. Any good ideas in this video are most likely
ideas in this video are most likely theirs and any mistakes or bad ideas are most likely from me or from my misunderstanding of the papers. In the brilliant paper that I am going to be shamelessly adapting, it explores
exactly this issue, the issue of hollow ID members and their impact on public diplomacy. But before I discuss that, I'm going to have to introduce a few
I'm going to have to introduce a few terms. The first one is soft power in terms. The first one is soft power in contrast to with hard power. Hard power is diplomatic power that comes from military might, a government's ability
to use violence to force another government to comply. Soft power is government to comply. Soft power is power that comes from cultural ties and personal influence. To explain it, I'm going to reuse an analogy I've
previously used. Imagine a homeowners association which wants to make sure that everybody's house under its authority has a well-maintained garden. They could arrange block parties, a night market every Fortnite, a kids arts
competition, and all sorts of other social tedium that is intended to make you think positively of the homeowners association so that you'll do what they want you to do. This is a example of soft power. Alternatively, the
homeowners association could drive a main battle tank down the road and demand you garden or else. That would be hard power. In broader senses, soft
power is getting cooperation from another country by encouraging will towards your country. This could be by sponsoring cultural events, providing assistance during emergencies, exporting entertainment, stuff like that. In games
entertainment, stuff like that. In games like Civilization and other Forex games, soft power is your cultural victory. They are the things that make people and perhaps more importantly the leaders of those people to think favorably of your
country. The goodwill that can ease the creation of trade deals and the trust that is required for military cooperation. Embassies will often sponsor events in other countries in order to promote their countries to the
decision makers of others. Soft power diplomacy is also why the People's Republic of China loans pandas to zoos while hard power diplomacy would be
driving an armored division into the capital of that country. So to sum up capital of that country. So to sum up pandas soft, panzas hard. Another key concept we will be introducing is new public diplomacy. Conventional public
diplomacy is a more top-down affair, starting at the top and having the government broadcasting its vision to the public. Shortwave radio, TV the public. Shortwave radio, TV broadcasts, print media, and the like,
broadcasts, print media, and the like, big traditional media. By contrast, the new public diplomacy is more like treating a country's image as its brand and using the tools of brand marketing. What can be effective at promoting
Nintendo and McDonald's can also be effective at promoting Japan and the US? Indeed, the two go hand in hand. The efforts of corporations to promote
efforts of corporations to promote themselves also as a byproduct promotes the country that they are associated with. Rather than being totally top down, the new public diplomacy is more about peer-to-peer connections between
non-government entities, though often with government support. It's about creating bonds between people and connection. Shifting away from hierarchical like structures to something moreworked
and meshlike. To understand why this is important for Indonesia, we have to look at its place in the world. Here is the Southeast Asian area often called sea.
We have countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, and Teolasi. But strangely enough, not Papu
Giddy. If we zoom out a bit in the expanded area, we see the China, the Koreas, Japan, the US territory of Guam, Russia,
Mongolia, and Australia. In this area, there are representatives of three superpowers and a whole heap of points of potential conflict. When elephants
fight, it is the ground that suffers. And this entire area is elephant ground. In some cases, quite literally, since this is a habitat of many elephant subspecies, including the Borneo pygmy elephant. Look at this cutie. One of the
elephant. Look at this cutie. One of the key ways of not getting stomped on is to make yourself known. Many countries within this region have embarked on soft power public diplomacy campaigns both to ensure their own safety if conflict does
break out and also to encourage trade and for further their other national interests. Always informative moon channel has talked about in length about Japan and South Korea's soft power projection. Japan via anime, J-pot,
projection. Japan via anime, J-pot, gaming and tourism. South Korea via gaming and tourism. South Korea via K-pop, Kdrama and gaming as well. The folks at Wendover Productions have talked about how Thailand is using its
food as a and restaurants as a part of gastro diplomacy. Another effort at soft power projection. There are also subtle forms of soft power projection as
forms of soft power projection as through OFW overseas Filipino worker through OFW overseas Filipino worker program acting as a persontoerson projection of soft power. And now we return to the star of this video.
return to the star of this video. Indonesia populationwise it has 285 million people making it the fourth most populous country just a little bit after populous country just a little bit after US's 347 million east to west it is
wider than the US and it's also wider than Europe home to over 700 languages than Europe home to over 700 languages and it has the largest economy on a
and it has the largest economy on a total GDP basis in C. As an aside, I'm using Indonesia's GDP in this argument rather than GDP per capita because Southeast Asia has a few anomalies for GDP per person. Singapore, which is
basically a container port with a seat on the UN, and Brunai, whose economic power comes because it's sitting a top 1.1 billion barrels of crude oil.
1.1 billion barrels of crude oil. Anyway, Indonesia is unquestionably an important nation on the world stage, but has often found itself ignored. One of has often found itself ignored. One of the core aspects of new public diplomacy
is treating a country like a brand. And the first step in marketing a brand is brand awareness. Just making people aware that there's a place called aware that there's a place called Indonesia is a massive step forward,
especially for a US audience. But it goes beyond for a US audience. But it goes beyond just pure awareness. Consider the 2024 Indonesian folk music medalley that Hollow ID put out. In part medalley was
to promote Indonesia day and the Indonesian motto of unity in diversity. It reflects this both in a musical sense by being a medally of folk songs from
various islands and cultures within Indo. It is a unification of those diverse songs into a single song. And the music video also reinforces this by having the girls start dressed in a a typical school uniform of an Indonesian
high school student, showing them to be unified in their uniform and then having them change into traditional clothing from each of the cultures reflecting
Indonesia's diversity. Moreover, every stream that Indonesian VTubers perform is an opportunity for viewers to become emotionally invested with both the emotionally invested with both the VTuber and the VTuber's country and the
VTuber and the VTuber's country and the interests of Indonesia. Soft power being the expression of a country's power through cultural and personal ties. We through cultural and personal ties. We have the new public diplomacy working on
have the new public diplomacy working on non-government entities bringing p more non-government entities bringing p more personal inter relationships and we have hollow ID acting as a prominent nexus in there because they are reaching out to a
lot of non-Indonesian people and promoting Indonesia to them. I hope this video was quite informative and if so, why don't you watch one of my
other videos to learn more about other subjects. Thank you very much and I hope subjects. Thank you very much and I hope to see you later. Goodbye.