A sign at a gas station shows the price of gasoline, which has risen to 188 yen (US$1.18) per liter for regular gasoline, in Tokyo on March 14, 2026, due to a sharp rise in crude oil prices sparked by the war in the Middle East.

This energy shock demands a green industrial strategy

Green investment is a win-win. In addition to mitigating climate change, its spillover effects lead to higher productivity, good jobs and higher living standards.

18 hours ago

Academia premium

Criticism, intelligence and the future of a republic

Within the broader tradition of political thought, criticism is the most honest form of engagement. ...

19 hours ago

Academia premium

Why Indonesia’s strategic autonomy goes unrecognized

Indonesia is transforming from a quiet diplomat into a "status-affirming" middle power, using proactive hedging to secure strategic autonomy in a multipolar world. By reviving the "Bandung Spirit," Jakarta can lead a global coalition of middle powers to restrain major-power conflict and build a more equitable international order. ...

17 hours ago

The Latest

Tankers sail in the Persian Gulf on March 11, near the Strait of Hormuz as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, during the United States-Israel war on Iran.

Academia premium

The arithmetic of ceasefire: What would it take to exit the abyss?

Indonesia is not a party to this conflict, but it cannot afford to be a bystander.

1 day ago

Children play with a graffitied missile casing on March 23, 2026, a day after it landed in the playground of an elementary school in the Israeli settlement of Peduel in the occupied West Bank amid the United States-Israeli war on Iran.

Academia premium

Is honesty the best policy for the international order?

While some Western leaders’ recent acknowledgement that the old order is outdated might seem refreshingly honest at first, they seem to be in a rush to bury it for good without proposing reforms for a better, more just alternative for all.

1 day ago

Employees of a pharmaceutical store promote baby care products through live streaming on Jan. 25, 2023, at ITC Fatmawati trade center in South Jakarta.

Academia premium

Data flows out, value flows away: Indonesia’s digital trade paradox

Behind the rhetoric of digital cooperation, Indonesia’s new trade framework risks turning the nation into a mere supplier of raw data for global giants. To avoid a digital paradox, the country must bridge the gap between open data flows and the domestic infrastructure needed to capture its true economic value.

1 day ago

This official White House photo shows United States President Donald Trump (second left), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (third right) and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (second right) monitoring activity on Feb, 28, related to “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran from an unnamed location.

Academia premium

Trump’s war of choice on Iran: Inquiring into foreign policy making

Why did Washington decide to pursue the path of war rather than continuing with diplomacy?

1 day ago

Graffiti that reads “police are killers“ is seen as community groups and university students stage a demonstration on Sept. 1, 2025, demanding an end to police brutality following recent protests, in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Indonesian authorities ramped up security after six people were killed in unrest over economic hardship that escalated into violent anger against the nation's police force.

Academia premium

The future of democracy: Why Gen-Z protests demand a new blueprint

As Gen Z movements shake the foundations of traditional politics from Indonesia, Nepal to Europe, the old pillars of representative democracy are no longer enough to hold up the world. We must move beyond the ballot box toward a deliberative, bottom-up model that gives the new generation a real seat at the table.

1 day ago

An employee directs motorists lining up to buy fuel at a gas station in Banda Aceh on March 5, 2026.

Academia premium

Defending budget deficits amid war: Prabowo’s fiscal crossroads

As Indonesia’s 2026 budget faces an oil-fueled collision between campaign promises and market reality, the government must choose: protect its signature projects or save its fiscal credibility.

2 days ago

A man stands onshore against the backdrop of the Callisto tanker on March 12, 2026, anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat amid a sharp drop in maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz due to the United States-Israeli war with Iran.

Academia premium

Strait strategy: Iran is sanctioning America

By choking off the Strait of Hormuz to oil flowing from pro-US Persian Gulf countries, while still shipping a substantial amount of its own oil to China, Iran has slapped painful sanctions on the US.

2 days ago

An aerial view shows vehicles of homebound travelers lining up to board ferries at Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana, Bali, on March 15, 2026. Six days before Idul Fitri, traffic heading from Bali to Java surged as thousands of people began the annual mudik (exodus) to celebrate the holiday with family.

Academia premium

Beyond the ritual, the power of Indonesia’s 'Lebaranomics' is real

In an economy still heavily skewed toward urban concentration, where capital accumulates disproportionately in Jakarta and major cities, the annual Idul Fitri migration serves as a release valve, channeling economic “lifeblood” back into rural capillaries.

2 days ago

Relatives celebrate with a family member after he was released from Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on March 2, 2026 to mark Peasants' Day. Myanmar's military junta on March 2 announced amnesties for more than 7,000 prisoners convicted of financing or sheltering a “terrorist group“, a designation it has used to outlaw pro-democracy factions opposing its rule.

Academia premium

Prisoner ‘amnesty’ is no sign of reform in Myanmar

Such moves are a familiar tactic used by the military to project legitimacy and deflect international criticism

1 week ago

Muslims perform Friday prayers during Ramadan at Tanah Abang Market, Southeast Asia’s largest textile market, in Jakarta on Feb. 27, 2026.

Academia premium

Ramadan values provide basis for just welfare distribution

Beyond a spiritual ritual, Ramadhan offers a powerful economic blueprint for bridging Indonesia’s wealth gap and securing a just, prosperous future by 2045.

2 days ago

Army Infantry Battalion Raider 112 troops arrive at Krueng Geukuh Port in North Aceh, Aceh on March 10, 2026 after 15 months of a border security mission in Papua.

Academia premium

Economy, not infantry: Indonesia’s real shield against the Mideast crisis

As global oil prices soar and the rupiah weakens, the government is responding with a display of military hardware that masks, but cannot fix, a deepening economic crisis.

2 days ago

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) as the latter arrives in Kuala Lumpur on April 15, 2025 for a three-day visit to the Southeast Asian country.

Academia

How intellectual diplomacy bridges East and West

The meeting of the best of the East and the West is more than a symbolic gesture; it is a substantive step toward reimagining the future of global intellectual engagement.

4 days ago

A drone view shows part of an Iranian missile that landed on a building's roof, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in East Jerusalem March 16, 2026.

Academia

Why European and Asian leaders reject the new American order

If the US continues to view NATO and its Pacific alliances through a purely transactional lens, it risks hollowing out the very institutions that have underpinned global stability for eight decades.

6 days ago

Smoke rises in the Fujairah oil industry zone, caused by debris after interception of a drone by air defenses, according to the Fujairah media office, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 14, 2026.

Academia premium

What the Iran crisis means for middle powers

The Iran crisis makes clear that a restoration spearheaded by middle powers is crucial for steering geopolitics away from a world governed by power alone.

6 days ago

Iraqi Kurdish people celebrate the Nowruz New Year festival in the town of Akre,in Iraq’s northern autonomous Kurdish region, on March 20, 2025.

Academia

Between Persian culture and Islamic theocracy: The politics of Iran’s Nowruz

Official warnings ahead of Nowruz in Iran have been explicit: Dissent will be treated not as protest but as insurrection.

1 week ago

Trucks are seen at an oil terminal in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture on March 17, 2026. Oil prices resumed their push higher on March 17 as several countries pushed back against Donald Trump's demand that they help secure the key Strait of Hormuz, while Iran continued to target crude-producing neighbors in retaliation for attacks against it.

Academia

India’s balanced strategy in West Asia

As India navigates the volatile West Asian landscape, New Delhi’s masterclass in strategic autonomy proves that dialogue, not division, is the ultimate currency of power.

1 week ago

Farmers plant rice in a paddy field on June 28, 2025, in Lambaro, Aceh.

Academia premium

The smart way to food security isn’t self-sufficiency

Producing food is not the same as ensuring people can eat. The difference lies not in production but in income levels, logistics, market integration and purchasing power.

1 week ago

New civil servants take their oath on March 22, 2024, during an induction ceremony at Bogor City Hall in Bogor, West Java.

Academia

Indonesia’s civil–military boundaries under new pressure

The plan to train thousands of civil servants as military reservists raise risks of militarizing the bureaucracy.

1 week ago

Dangerous waters: A Royal Oman Police Coast Guard patrol boat surveys the seas on March 12, off Muscat, as shipping traffic comes to a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the United States-Israel war on Iran.

Academia premium

Lessons for Indonesia from the harbingers of a new tanker war

Learning from the ongoing war in the Middle East, it is essential for TNI-AL to consider increasing capacities for mine hunting in particular and underwater warfare in general.

1 week ago

Indonesian nationals, formerly employed in scam centers, line up during questioning at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Feb. 22, 2026, upon returning from Cambodia on commercial airliners.

Academia

Trafficked Indonesians risk blame after scam escape

Framing returnees as potential criminals is politically convenient but counterproductive. It discourages victims from seeking help from authorities.

1 week ago

The logos of ride-hailing service providers Gojek and Grab are seen on helmets worn by an online motorcycle taxi driver and another passenger in Jakarta on Jan. 26, 2026.

Academia premium

The early signs of platform power in our ride-hailing economy

As ride-hailing drivers report increasing scarcity and pay-to-participate barriers, the invisible hand of the algorithm is reshaping our digital economy. We must ask whether platform innovation is expanding opportunity or quietly redefining the terms of fairness for millions.

1 week ago

Cars are stuck at traffic at a segment of the trans-Java toll road in Semarang, Central Java, on March 14, 2026. Travelers from Greater Jakarta have begun the 'mudik' (exodus) ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday, which is expected to fall on March 20 or 21.

Academia premium

Muslims and Catholics walk together to achieve peace

Catholics and Muslims, together with all people of goodwill, are called to envision and open new paths through which life can be renewed.

1 week ago

(From left to right) Activists Delpedro Marhaen, Muzaffar Salim, Syahdan Husein and Khariq Anhar pose on March 6 ahead of the verdict hearing against them at the Central Jakarta District Court in Jakarta. The judges acquit the defendants of all charges of incitement during nationwide anti-government protests in August 2025 that later turned into riots.

Academia premium

Streets, screens and gavels: Indonesia’s new cycle of contention

The pulse of Indonesian democracy has moved to three arenas of contention: the asphalt of the streets, the viral volatility of social media and the high-stakes theater of the courtroom.

1 week ago

Homebound travelers: Passengers wait for the bus at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on April 4, 2024, that will transport them to West Sumatra as part of the free 2024 Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) program held by Gerindra Party lawmakers.

Academia premium

When Idul Fitri becomes an interrogation for single women

When the "warmth" of the Idul Fitri living room becomes a cold interrogation, a woman’s Ivy League degree and global achievements are often reduced to a single, stinging metric: her marital status.

1 week ago

A poster with flowers is seen during a demonstration on March 14 in Yogyakarta, in support of activist Andrie Yunus of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras), who was attacked with acid by unidentified persons.

Academia premium

Attacks on human rights workers are a manifestation of state terrorism

When a state uses acid to silence its critics, it ceases to be a protector and becomes a perpetrator of terrorism.

1 week ago

Cheers: Racegoers dressed in Irish colors hurl their hats into the air on March 13, 2025, during St Patrick's Day celebrations at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, the United Kingdom.

Academia premium

Ireland and Indonesia celebrate shared friendship

We are honored that many citizens and friends of Ireland will commemorate St Patrick's Day across Indonesia’s vast archipelago.

1 week ago

Ramadan under tents: Disaster survivors have a predawn meal (sahur) on Feb. 19, 2026, at an emergency shelter in Bundar village, Karang Baru, Aceh Tamiang, Aceh. About 23 families liveed at the site, and cook simple meals for their sahur as they observe the Ramadan fast.

Academia premium

Not an end game: Waqf to help Aceh recover from disasters

For waqf to play a meaningful role in post-disaster recovery, governance must be strengthened through clear asset mapping, professional management, transparency and integration with broader development and disaster-risk strategies.

1 week ago

Page: 1