Voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station during the 14th general election in Alor Setar, Malaysia, on May 9, 2018.

Malaysia state polls: The age of political frenemies

What we are witnessing today in Malaysia is the rise of the frenemy: a political party or coalition that acts as a friendly partner on one stage, but turns into an outright rival the moment they step onto another.

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Data should be treated as a national asset

Indonesia will need to decide whether its digital data should be treated merely as an input for external technology companies or as a strategic national asset whose value should also contribute to domestic development. ...

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A stronger macroeconomic framework for a stronger Indonesia

Indonesia now faces an important choice. The current policy mix is costly to maintain while becoming less effective. ...

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US yen intervention signals perfect storm rising in FX and bond markets

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What a Sino-American G2 would mean for Asian security

The G2 concept that Trump has been touting lately is a highly unstable proposition that could make the emergence of a unipolar Asia more likely. Fortunately, Japan remains committed to advancing the far more effective “free and open Indo-Pacific" framework, with India as an indispensable partner.

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Fighting forest fires starts with communities

Fire mitigation succeeds when risk is viewed as a shared responsibility. No single actor can tackle the threat of fire alone.

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Fear influences patient access to medical opioids

Patients in Indonesia cannot access medical opioids because the government fears drug misuse.

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A personal journey, a shared future: Mexico and Indonesia in a new era of partnership

Within the multilateral framework of the United Nations, in the G20 and as partners in MIKTA, Mexico and Indonesia consistently join forces to amplify their voices.

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ASEAN centrality on display in Manila

At a time when ASEAN centrality is frequently questioned, the recent meetings demonstrated that ASEAN remains the principal convening platform of the Indo-Pacific.

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Why Danantara should stay out of KSSK

"KSSK Plus" introduces profound systemic, institutional and governance risks that threaten to undermine the very financial stability it seeks to enhance.

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This handout photograph released by India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) on April 28, 2018, shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping looking on along the East Lake, in Wuhan.

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The limits of Asia's two major growth models

What is the most reliable development path for an increasingly fragmented global economy? China and India represent different answers. But can other countries emulate them?

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Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (from left), Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet hold hands for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, in Cebu, Philippines, May 8, 2026.

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Why ASEAN Charter needs urgent reform

Nearly two decades later, the appropriate time for realistic yet necessary change has arrived.

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Is India Asia's ultimate 'anti-AI' trade?

As Asia's AI-fueled stock boom cools, a supposed “AI loser” is emerging from the wreckage as an unlikely haven: India.

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Prabowo's populist economics and public ethics

One important element that appears to be missing from Prabowo's agenda is the cultivation of a strong foundation of public ethics.

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Indonesia's ultimate business ownership reform at a crossroads

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More nuclear states may be better; more strategic ambiguity never is

Indonesia's contribution should be to insist on what actually makes nuclear peace hold: declaratory transparency, no-first-use commitments, verified command-and-control safeguards and working crisis hotlines between adversaries.

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Bank Indonesia: Finding a new governor, managing expectations

The job requires not only technical expertise in economics but also judgement, communication, crisis management and political independence.

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BI governor's exit signals a shift from markets to command?

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The world's $1.8 quadrillion balance sheet has a simmering problem

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Poland and ASEAN deepen a growing partnership

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Indonesia must break out of a crumbling global order

In a fracturing global order ruled by tech giants and rising autocracies, Indonesia must abandon gradualism and execute a bold strategic breakout or else risk permanent economic subordination.

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Baliology and the spirit of scholarship

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Trump's new tariffs are an opportunity to fight back

Once again, President Donald Trump is subverting domestic and international law in an effort to seize a larger fraction of global value and supply chains, this time on the hypocritical pretext of forced labor.

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The moral panic over private LGBT lives misdirects state power away from genuine threats like corruption and pervasive sexual abuse. In a civilized society, citizens deserve privacy and safety in their homes, while public spaces continue to honor shared cultural norms

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China’s clean technology dominance reshapes global net zero transition

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The ‘Die-hard Duterte Supporters’ phenomenon abroad

Filipinos in Europe are enjoying the kind of governance that elevates human rights on a pedestal. But back home, why do they rabidly support the most fascist and the most murderous leader the Philippines has ever produced?

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Line in the sand: ASEAN must choose substance over speed in the South China Sea

Concluding a South China Sea Code of Conduct simply to meet a deadline would be a serious mistake. A weak, vague agreement could be worse than no agreement at all.

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When a country crosses the World Bank’s threshold from low- to middle-income status, it is deemed too rich to qualify for aid, even though it is not yet rich enough to cover its health costs.

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Jakarta’s sizzling affair with panda bonds

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