An aerial photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a plot of mangrove forest in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra.

The missing link in the blue carbon agenda: The workforce

Blue carbon involves more than just counting carbon. It requires governance, finance, policy and practice. Ultimately, success hinges on people and their skills.

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Indonesia must leverage Russia, India for its spacefront blueprint

As two BRICS giants vie to build Indonesia’s first spaceport, Jakarta stands at a crossroads: it must swiftly finalize its regulatory framework and secure vital technology transfers to transform its equatorial advantage into sovereign spacefaring power. ...

11 hours ago

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Asian bishops assembly: Building bridges of dialogue for humanity, justice

As the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences convenes in Jakarta, the Asian Catholic Church faces a historic opportunity to turn the ideals of interfaith harmony and digital-age human dignity into a concrete regional roadmap for social justice. ...

12 hours ago

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Demonstrators from the civil society coalition MBG Watch hold posters during a rally in front of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) building in South Jakarta on July 15, 2026. The protesters urged the AGO to completely investigate alleged corruption pertaining to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free nutritious meal program.

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We are confronting not just systemic but networked corruption

Indonesia will never defeat corruption by simply locking up individual officials; it must dismantle the resilient, invisible networks that keep the system alive.

1 day ago

Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan (left) talks to registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler (right) prior to the first appearance of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charge of crimes against humanity over his deadly crackdown on narcotics, in The Hague on March 14, 2025.

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The subversion of the International Criminal Court

Some institutional failures unfold not through scandal but procedure, with acts of sabotage dressed up in the language of good-faith inquiry and accountability.

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President Prabowo Subianto (front), accompanied by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (left, second row), Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto (right, second row) and other military leaders, inspects forces from his presidential vehicle in October ahead of a ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the TNI at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta.

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The rise of dynasties and politicization of meritocracy in the TNI

As the TNI swaps rigid seniority for an ill-defined model of "meritocracy," the rhetoric of professional advancement increasingly serves as a convenient cover for dynastic privilege and political patronage.

1 day ago

Emus seek food in the dry earth near the Australian agricultural town of Walgett, 650 kilometers northwest of Sydney in this file photo taken on Feb. 12, 2015.

Academia

Trump's Iran lesson from Australia's emus

The lesson here is about strategy: superior firepower can fail against an adversary built to survive.

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Students of SRMP 9 Sekolah Rakyat junior high school at the Wyata Guna center in Bandung, West Java, try out their bunk beds after attending the opening of Sekolah Rakyat's orientation program on July 14, 2025.

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Sekolah Rakyat needs evidence, not applause

How Indonesia can move from celebrating a flagship anti-poverty program to actually finding out whether it works.

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Indonesia’s economy is starting to lose the confidence game

Faced with a plummeting rupiah and shifting global markets, Indonesia must halt its erratic policymaking and institutional erosion before it permanently loses the vital game of investor confidence.

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This undated handout photo from the Myanmar Military Information Team released on April 30 shows Aung San Suu Kyi (center) talking in an undisclosed location. Myanmar's deposed leader is under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw, according to her captors, but experts say the city is purpose built to guard secrets of the country's closed-ranks rulers.

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Let's face it, Myanmar is not ASEAN's problem anymore

Five years of catastrophic failure make it undeniably clear: ASEAN must finally abandon its toothless "Five-Point Consensus" and expel Myanmar’s junta to save its own collapsing institutional credibility.

3 days ago

Bated breath: Groups of santri (Islamic boarding school students) hold aloft the flag of Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) as they wait along a road for the presidential motorcade to arrive on June 23, 2026, ahead of the closing ceremony of the NU National Conference of Islamic Scholars and Grand Conference at the Syachona Mohammad Cholil Islamic Institute in Bangkalan, East Java.

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Why NU's leadership race matters beyond Indonesia

The upcoming leadership transition at Nahdlatul Ulama is not just an internal election; it is a high-stakes contest that will shape the future of global Islam, democratic resilience and Indonesia's trajectory toward 2029.

3 days ago

A driver refuels on July 9, 2026, a vehicle with biodiesel containing 50 percent diesel fuel made of palm oil at a petrol station in Karawang, West Java.

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What we can learn from mandatory B50 before B60

As we race from B50 toward a B60 biodiesel mandate, the nation must ensure its quest for energy sovereignty is backed by logistical readiness and social equity rather than just political ambition.

3 days ago

Local people spend their leisure time on March 26, 2025, in a residential community within the startup zone of Xiong'an New Area, located in northern China's Hebei Province.

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What Nusantara can learn from Xiong'an's urban journey

As Indonesia builds its new capital from scratch, China’s "city of the future" offers a powerful blueprint for turning ambitious green dreams into a sustainable urban reality.

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Fans react after the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, the United States on July 15, 2026.

Academia

How soccer breeds tribalism

Why do players and teams inspire not merely admiration or disappointment, but also an intensity of resentment that often appears strangely detached from what actually happens on the soccer field?

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (second right) shakes hands with Canadian Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu (right) as President Prabowo Subianto (second left) and Trade Minister Budi Santoso look on during the signing of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA) on Sept. 24, 2025, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

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A strategic case for the Indonesia-Canada trade pact

ICA-CEPA offers Indonesia a source of resilience and strategic autonomy in a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain disruption and economic fragmentation.

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Workers arrange melons on Oct. 3, 2025, at Rau Market in Serang, Banten.

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Learning from the Chilean paradox: Protecting Indonesia’s middle class

While Indonesia's macroeconomic growth may appear reassuring on paper, it would do well to take a close look at the country's current trajectory in parallel with Chile's experience since 2019 to avoid creating an increasingly fragile middle class.

4 days ago

Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti takes a selfie with newly recruited part-time government contract workers on Dec. 10, 2025, at Semarang City Hall in the Central Java capital.

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The price of centralization: Inside the regional budget crisis

As Jakarta starves the regions provinces of vital funds to bankroll high-profile national projects, the country’s decentralized governance is fracturing under the weight of an unprecedented, manufactured regional budget crisis.

4 days ago

Workers stand at a petrol station for biodiesel containing 50 percent diesel fuel made of palm oil in Karawang, West Java, on July 9, 2026.

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Energy volatility is Asia's real stress test

Governments can prepare for persistently high energy prices, but they cannot anticipate every possible market outcome.

4 days ago

Workers smelt silver ingots known as “the pig sows” at the Precious Metals Division of the Glogow smelter in southwestern Poland, owned by KGHM, the metallurgical giant in the country, on March 24, 2026.

Academia

So you want to build your own metals smelter?

The number of barriers to establishing a successful processing business is "vast", according to a joint analysis by consultancy CRU and the World Bank.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses people gathered at the Presidential Complex to protest the July 15th failed military coup attempt in Ankara, Turkey on Aug. 10, 2016.

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July 15 and Turkey's defining democratic stand

By standing up for its independence and future to confront the coup plotters, our august nation asserted to the entire world that the will of the people can never be subjugated.

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President Prabowo Subianto (left) talks with former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the former's private residence at Jl. Kertanegara in South Jakarta on evening of July 8, 2026. Prabowo and Thaksin discussed various regional and global issues during the meeting, according to Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.

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The Shinawatra code in Jakarta and the posturing of Thai power

A power play disguised as diplomacy, the Shinawatra family’s high-stakes meeting with President Prabowo in Jakarta reveals a masterclass in reciprocal politics, leveraging international prestige to reshape Bangkok's domestic power balance while securing vital economic lifelines for Indonesia.

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This handout photo taken and released by Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 12 shows (from left to right) Timor-Leste's Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Vietnam's Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, Malaysia's Chief Secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Philippines' Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Brunei's Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, Laos' Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane and Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Tin Maung Swe posing for a photo during an informal meeting with ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Bangkok.

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Principle or pragmatism? ASEAN’s risky recalibration on Myanmar

By offering the Myanmar junta an informal seat at the table without demanding accountability, ASEAN risks trading its diplomatic leverage for the hollow illusion of progress.

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A healthcare worker from the Nosarara community health center (Puskesmas) administers a measles vaccine to a child at the Melati integrated health services post (Posyandu) in Palupi village, Palu, Central Sulawesi, on April 2, 2026.

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The purpose of development cooperation is to be unnecessary

Instead of simply asking how development cooperation should be financed, OECD governments should be asking what it should achieve.

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Journalists photograph gold and cash displayed as evidence during a news conference on July 10 at the Jakarta Police headquarters. Police said investigators are continuing to examine evidence collected during searches at 13 locations as part of a joint investigation into three alleged cases involving corruption, bribery, gratuities and money laundering.

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Why Indonesia’s revolving door of corruption keeps spinning

Indonesia’s economy can no longer rely on cheap labor and raw resources. If the country wants to compete globally, it must finally jam the corrupt "revolving door" that trades public office for private profit.

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A health worker conducts an antigen test for COVID-19 for students on June 9, 2022, at a junior high school in Surabaya, East Java.

Academia

What Indonesia can learn from Thailand’s disease tracking

Thailand’s integrated approach has successfully strengthened the country’s preparedness for future public health emergencies, something Indonesia should learn from to broaden its public health access.

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President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi clasp hands on July 8 as they visit the Prambanan Temple Compounds, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sleman, Yogyakarta.

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India-Indonesia: Glorious past, promising future

With similar developmental challenges, closer cooperation and exchange of expertise can significantly accelerate bilateral progress

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Residents carry buckets of water collected from a natural spring in Gunung Putri village, Situbondo regency, East Java, on June 20, 2026. Villagers say they have struggled to access clean water for drinking and daily needs over the past month, forcing them to walk about one kilometer to the spring.

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A decade of water progress, but the world must move faster

The world community has the solutions and the funding to solve the global water crisis—now we just need the political will to deploy them before time runs out.

5 days ago

A Vinfast car drives past the entrance of the VinFast electric automobile plant in Haiphong on Aug. 26, 2022. Having conquered most industries at home, optimistic chiefs at conglomerate Vingroup are setting their sights much higher as they ramp up plans to sell the first ever Vietnamese car in the mighty United States market.

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Why EV makers choose Vietnam, not nickel-rich Indonesia

Indonesia’s vast nickel wealth won’t save its green industrial ambitions if volatile regulations and a severe high-tech skills deficit keep driving global EV giants straight into the arms of Vietnam.

6 days ago

An employee works on the production line for solar panels at a factory of GCL System Integration Technology in Hefei, Anhui province, China, on May 16, 2024.

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The mother of all economic shocks is Chinese mercantilism

The latent bias that leads analysts to place the US at the center of the global economy has caused many to overlook just how game-changing Chinese mercantilism has been.

6 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto gestures as he delivers remarks at the launch of Indonesia's B50 biodiesel program in Karawang, West Java, July 9, 2026. Indonesia on Thursday raised its mandatory biodiesel blend to 50 percent from 40 percent, requiring diesel fuel to contain half palm oil-based biodiesel.

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The hidden costs of Indonesia's B50 biodiesel revolution

Indonesia’s ambitious B50 biodiesel mandate promises total energy independence, but a volatile mix of surging food costs, environmental degradation, and fiscal strain could turn this historic experiment into a costly economic gamble.

6 days ago

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