Off-season downpour: A woman (left) attempts to drain water from inside her home on Monday as floods hit her neighborhood following heavy rainfall in Jakarta.

Investing in nature for the economy and humanity amid climate chaos

Indonesia could explore Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), channeling funds from urban development to conserve valuable natural areas like riverbanks or wildlife habitats.

6 hours ago

Academia premium

A living constitution, a source of democratic resilience

The recent Constitutional Court decision, it is important to note, does not dismantle the fundamental electoral process, alter the established system of government or directly undermine the sovereignty of the people. ...

1 day ago

Academia

BRICS is sliding toward irrelevance; the Rio summit made that clear

The potential of BRICS as an emerging new world order appears to be losing its luster as seen at the bloc's recently concluded summit, which the Chinese president did not attend and which produced a joint declaration that exposed the group's inner contradictions. ...

1 day ago

The Latest

Container gantry cranes are seen at the container terminal at Europe's second largest container port in Hamburg, northern Germany on Feb. 4.

Academia premium

Caught between powers: Europe’s two-front trade war

As the United States and China wage trade wars against it, the European Union finds itself on uncharted terrain.

1 day ago

One of the most debilitating factors for the elderly is loneliness, according to experts, which means senior residences should provide community interaction.

Academia

Loneliness and isolation: The hidden threat to global health

Social health, our ability to form and maintain meaningful human connections, is just as essential to our well-being as physical and mental health.

1 day ago

Foreign Minister Sugiono (center) looks on during the plenary session of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 9.

Academia premium

ASEAN’s consistent support for Palestine

In a world that is increasingly polarized and selective toward the suffering of oppressed people, ASEAN cannot remain silent.

1 day ago

People check candidates before casting their ballots during the 2024 regional head elections in Banda Aceh, Aceh on Nov. 27, 2024. Indonesians voted on Nov. 27 to pick local leaders in the country's biggest simultaneous regional election.

Academia premium

A lesson in limits: How judicial activism threatens constitutional equilibrium

If unchecked, the Constitutional Court could transform into judicial tyranny, where the court violates the separation of powers and imposes ideological or political interpretations

2 days ago

A woman with an infant and a toddler stands in the entrance to an empty container on Jan. 31, 2025, in Cilincing, North Jakarta, to where they were evacuated along with other residents of Sepatan village in Rorotan subdistrict after their homes were flooded.

Academia premium

Solving the development crisis with quality finance

Efficient and equitable distribution of risk is key to reforming the international financial system which, in its current form, places undue burden on those countries that most need investment to develop.

2 days ago

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shows a signed letter on tariffs to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on July 7, 2025, at the White House in Washington, DC. United States President Donald Trump sent a similar letter to President Prabowo Subianto, warning that Washington will impose a 32 percent tariff unless Jakarta works out a trade and investment deal.

Academia premium

How should Indonesia respond to Trump's 32 percent tariff?

Rather than raising high tariff walls, we believe strongly that the US and Indonesia are natural economic partners that should be deepening all aspects of our trade relationship.

2 days ago

Residents of Gunung Tanjung village in Tasikmalaya regency, West Java, collect water from the Cipamutih River on Aug. 26, 2024 for daily consumption amid a prolonged drought.

Academia premium

A global water treaty: The missing link in environmental governance

It is time for the global community to initiate negotiations on a single international water treaty, one that sets clear legal standards, promotes cooperation and guarantees the human right to water for all.

2 days ago

Global South solidarity: BRICS summit banners are seen on July 3 near the Modern Art Museum (MAM), the location of the 2025 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Academia

BRICS countries take on new responsibilities

It’s time for BRICS to take on a new responsibility as the voice of the Global South, making it a game changer in global governance.

2 days ago

eads of state and top diplomats of (from left) Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Ethiopia, Egypt and Iran pose for a family photo on July 6, 2025, during the 2025 BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Academia

Southeast Asia and the BRICS expansion

The latest BRICS summit embodied the ongoing shift in the world order from one of Western domination in rules and narratives to one counterweighted by Global South nations wielding agency.

2 days ago

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka attends the commemoration of Pancasila Day at the Pancasila Building, a historic hall within the Foreign Ministry's compound, in Jakarta on June 2.

Academia premium

Gibran’s impeachment: Between constitutional instrument and political pressure tool

The impeachment issue could be kept alive as a strategic card for the 2029 presidential race, when Prabowo and Gibran may collide, rather than coalesce.

3 days ago

Row upon row: A truck passes through the middle of an oil palm plantation on Nov. 20, 2024, in Muaro Jambi, Jambi.

Academia

Strengthening legal certainty in the palm oil industry

Expectation is now high that Agrinas will serve as a breakthrough and solution to address legal uncertainties, particularly on overlapped land status which has been haunting many palm oil companies.

3 days ago

Members of a local indigenous community in Sentani, Papua, perform an Isosolo dance on July 5 during the opening of the 2023 Sentani Lake Festival in Khalkote area in Jayapura, Papua province.

Academia premium

Eastern Indonesia is not poor, we just misunderstand it

Indonesia's development strategies outlined by various administrations are predominantly top-down, influenced by paradigms from Java or Jakarta.

3 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right, in cream top) addresses a limited cabinet meeting on June 23, 2025, at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor regency, West Java.

Academia

Indonesia's future: Adapt, act, and lead with feedback

It is time for Indonesia to throw out outdated, hypercautious leadership models and adopt a relexive approach with an experimentation mindset that embraces a feedback culture to harness the very pluralism that defines the country's identity.

3 days ago

Between caution and potential: (From left to right) China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, President Prabowo Subianto, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Bahrain's National Security Advisor Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and South Africa's Deputy President Paul Mashatile attend a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 20 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Academia premium

SPIEF, Indonesia and a multipolar world

Indonesia emerges as a self-conscious regional power who aspires to mediate between G7 and BRICS, using Russia to diversify alliances and reduce exclusive commercial dependence on China and the United States.

3 days ago

The BRICS summit second plenary session took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6.

Academia premium

BRICS and the future of global diplomacy

BRICS nations, with their diverse technological and intelligence capabilities, are well-positioned to develop innovative conflict-resolution mechanisms that go beyond outdated Cold War frameworks.

4 days ago

Rescuers search for missing victims of a ferry accident in the waters of the Bali Strait near Jembrana, Bali, on July 4.

Academia premium

The high cost of a cheap life: Indonesia’s normalized ferry disasters

The Bali Strait tragedy highlights the fact that many ferries operate well beyond their technical lifespan.

4 days ago

A woman carries a toddler on April 6, 2024, as she walks past an anti-hoax and anti-hate mural on a street in Hepi kampung of Joho subdistrict in Surakarta, Central Java.

Academia premium

Middle East conflict and unfinished business in interfaith dialogues

Despite the aberrance of hate and intolerance, which only seem to be growing, as global citizens we must continue to maintain as well as build efforts at dialogue as a bridge to understanding.

4 days ago

Activists from the Solidarity Network for Victims and Justice (JSKK) hold posters during the 861st Kamisan (Thursday) peaceful protest in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on May 15. The protests call on the Attorney General's Office to take concrete action on unresolved human rights violations that occurred in May 1998.

Academia

Asia: From democracy's hope to repression's leader

Despite denials and official rebukes, ample evidence suggests that India and China, despite their differences, have adopted the same philosophy in tackling borderless repression.

4 days ago

Heavy equipment is parked at a nickel mining site on Gag Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, on June 7 after the government ordered a halt to its operations over alleged violations of environmental law.

Academia premium

Consistent, integrated regulations are pillars of the downstream industry

Strong, consistent, integrated regulations and implementations are indispensable to ensure downstream industry development as a key pillar of national economic transformation.

4 days ago

Two women take a selfie while wearing face masks in Jakarta on a polluted day on October 1, 2023. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

Academia premium

The urgent need for Earth-centered legal systems

We face both the devastating impacts of ecological degradation and the opportunity to pioneer new legal paths for ecological justice.

4 days ago

Personnel secure the vicinity of KLCC Park ahead of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 25.

Academia premium

ASEAN and the political-security challenges in the region

These challenges highlight some shortcomings that have limited the progress of ASEAN political-security cooperation and community building.

5 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (second right) take turns congratulating the new ambassadors-elect for Indonesian diplomatic missions following an appointment ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta on March 24.

Academia premium

Old envoys for a young nation

Despite Indonesia being a younger nation, it can only come up with old people to occupy positions representing the country's most vital interests.

5 days ago

Several journalists hold banners during a protest to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in Surabaya, East Java, on May 2.

Academia premium

Good journalism is still good business

News organizations will not go extinct as long as they continue to practice good journalism, defined as producing accurate, objective and credible content.

5 days ago

A Palestinian mother and her daughter rush for cover during an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 4.

Academia

Another Gaza ceasefire deal. Will it hold?

The ceasefire deal offers a potential breakthrough but faces familiar obstacles, with both Israel and Hamas deeply divided on the path to lasting peace.

5 days ago

Indonesian Navy personnel prepares meal packages for the free nutritious meal program aboard the KRI Banda Aceh warship docked at the pier of the Military Naval Command (Kolinlamil) in North Jakarta on Jan. 23.

Academia premium

Free meals and military might

The most contentious aspect of this nutritional initiative is the prominent role given to the military in its implementation.

5 days ago

A person receives a message from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) on Sept. 10, 2023, asking Indonesian citizens to be wary of online lending platforms.

Academia premium

Gen Z’s dominance in the “pay later” era

With the ability to make immediate purchases and defer payment to a later date, individuals are more inclined to indulge in impulse buying and overspending beyond their means.

5 days ago