Fireworks accompany the launch of the Indonesian Navy's newest warship, the KRI Bung Hatta corvette on Feb. 27 at PT Karimun Anugrah Sejati shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands. Navy chief of staff Adm. Muhammad Ali launched the second ship from the domestically built Bung Karno-class corvette.

Under Prabowo, Indonesia’s Navy sets sail for bigger ambitions

Frigates equipped with long-range firepower and advanced sensors, alongside heavyweight corvettes are expected to spearhead Indonesia's blue-water fleet capable of sustained Indo-Pacific operations.

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Beyond compliance: Toward a culture of integrity

A gap is widening between the people's expectations of fairness and transparency, and the state's ability to deliver them consistently. ...

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PIF leaders reach agreement on big issues, but unity remains elusive

The recently held PIF Leaders Meeting showed why true integration remains challenging while island nations are at different stages of independence. ...

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Nepal in crisis: From protest to political reckoning

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Weighing the urgency of Indonesia’s extradition pact with Russia

Indonesia might have become a safe haven for Russians in Southeast Asia who wish to avoid war in Ukraine

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Affan’s tragedy reveals that millions of young Indonesians remain expendable

Development plans like the Long-term National Development Plan (RJPN) 2025-2045 often frame young people as economic and state instruments, valued for future productivity and conformity to state-approved personas.

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Gaza’s desperation and the agony of religious diplomacy

Religious diplomacy emphasizes the role of faith, morality and shared values of religious traditions in seeking peace. It also bridges and encourages mutual understanding and tolerance.

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Breaking the bottleneck: Reforming the fuel distribution system

The issue is more than a logistical hiccup, it reflects deeper regulatory and market governance challenges.

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A female student holds a poster listing demands on Sept. 9 during a protest in front of the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Jakarta.

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Careful, Mr. President: The world is watching

Our system calls itself democratic yet remains deeply uneasy, even hostile, toward opposition.

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President Prabowo Subianto (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gesture during a joint press briefing at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Jan. 25, 2025.

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India and ASEAN must savor the mango flavors

Instead of being preoccupied with how other powers such as China or the United States might perceive our cooperation, India and ASEAN should focus on working together for their own sake.

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The untold business of Indonesia's private pawnshops

While the OJK has issued a regulation to make licensing easier for private pawnshops, the government has yet to address the issues of governance, oversight and whether or not to integrate this lucrative but marginalized business so it can truly contribute to growth.

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The unfiltered leader: When confidence clashes with convention

Because Purbaya arrived without in-group credentials, his blunt, merit-first style was framed as a status threat.

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SAL: A double-edged fiscal sword

Fragmenting cash balances across multiple banks increases inefficiency, as funds may exist but remain inaccessible when urgently needed, the IMF has warned.

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Food cartels threaten Prabowo's goal of food self-sufficiency

For years, a network of traders, importers, corrupt officials and political brokers have manipulated the supply and price of staple foods like rice, sugar, garlic, beef and cooking oil.

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How AI can revolutionize asset seizure, the fight against graft

The use of AI in asset forfeiture is already a reality in countries where advanced analytics are used to identify high-risk transactions and complex criminal networks.

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Can China rewrite the rules of global governance?

The SCO summit at Tianjin, China, followed by a military parade in Beijing, signal China's effort to contest the erratic policies of the Trump administration and change the global and regional orders.

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Aceh’s waqf experiment: When an age-old tradition powers a new economy

Aceh's unique cultural identity and administrative status makes it fertile ground for trialing waqf-based development initiatives that could provide a contemporary model for Islamic economies worldwide.

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Ovarian cancer, a silent and stealthy threat to women

Unlike breast and cervical cancer, no routine and simple screening tests can help patients detect ovarian cancer.

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President Prabowo Subianto delivers his State of the Nation address on Aug. 15 during the annual People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta.

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Did Prabowo’s fiscal vision leave people behind?

For a leader democratically elected by the people and with historic legislative support, it is ironic that President Prabowo Subianto finds himself on the line in less than a year of his tenure.

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Honoring history, cherishing peace and creating a brighter future for humanity

History serves both as the best textbook and dose of sobriety.

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Demonstrators hold illustrations of Affan Kurniawan during a protest in front of the Surabaya Police headquarters in East Java on Aug. 30, 2025, two days after the ‘ojol’ (motorcycle transportation) driver was killed when he was run over by a tactical vehicle of the Jakarta Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

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UNGA: Human rights and Prabowo's political test

Following the mass demontrations earlier this month and its devastating toll, the government needs to take proactive steps toward accountability, or the President's appearance at the UN General Assembly next week could be met with a negative response over Indonesia's pattern of state impunity.

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Sri Mulyani vs Purbaya: Balancing speed with discipline

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How Europe’s deforestation law could change global coffee trade

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The world is back to the 1930s war economy

The United Nations has issued a five-point agenda in an attempt to redefine security but the bottom line is that war is profitable and it is the same old battle of short-term vs. long-term gains, pitted against the very survival of our species.

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A female student holds a poster listing demands during a protest on Sept. 9 in front of the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta. The action was carried out to advocate for the 17+8 people’s demands.

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Inequality and the demand for emancipatory democracy

This striking disparity renders democracy meaningless. On one hand, people have the right to vote, on the other, they are trapped in an increasingly alienating economic and political system.

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When minors become targets of violent extremist groups

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Cabinet reshuffle: Prabowo’s move to realize 8% growth target?

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R2P without consistency is complicity

Indonesia has been consistent and steadfast in its efforts to support the Palestine cause by ultimately ensuring that it remains an international agenda and highlighting its multidimensionality, especially with regard to the UN principle of the Responsibility to Protect.

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