Fashion designer Didiet Maulana poses in his home office, from where he provides online entrepreneurship classes, in this undated photo.

Feudalism, meritocracy and why innovation becomes performative

Indonesia has mastered the aesthetics of innovation through endless incubators and certificates, yet true ventures are consistently traded for the safety of status and hierarchy. Until the culture stops rewarding symbolic participation and starts embracing the risk of public failure, entrepreneurship will remain performative rather than practiced.

2 weeks ago

Academia

Public diplomacy: The hidden cost of war

History repeatedly shows that military success does not necessarily translate into strategic success ...

2 weeks ago

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The hegemon's veto: Why Washington cannot accept a nuclear Iran

The US campaign against Iran’s nuclear program is not a mission of peace but a violent maintenance of empire; an attempt to bomb a rival into submission before the logic of deterrence makes the hegemon's presence obsolete. ...

2 weeks ago

The Latest

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution by Russia and China on Sept. 26, 2025, to delay by six months the reimposition of sanctions on Iran during the 80th UN General Assembly in New York City, the United States.

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Middle powers and the struggle in a US–China world

Can “middle powers” bolster existing multinational institutions like the United Nations? Can they cooperate where their interests align to safeguard shared goods?

2 weeks ago

A person points at a page on the Marinetraffic website that shows commercial shipping traffic on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast, on March 4 in Paris.

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The Hormuz crisis and Indonesia’s food security time bomb

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has exposed our energy fragility. But the far graver threat, one that could unravel the nation, is food.

2 weeks ago

People wait in a queue to refuel their vehicles on Sunday near a fuel station in Dhaka.

Academia

Oil shocks and crashes: Where are we headed with the 2026 crisis?

Past oil shocks reshaped energy policy and fuel use. With electric transport and renewable power expanding rapidly, the latest disruption may reinforce trends already reducing the world’s reliance on oil.

2 weeks ago

A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330 lands on July 13, 2021, at Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Blang Bintang, Aceh.

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Garuda’s 50 Boeing planes deal: Between ambition and survival

Garuda’s multi-billion dollar bet on 50 new Boeing jets will either modernize Indonesia's skies or ground the carrier in debt, depending entirely on whether the deal prioritizes operational logic over political optics.

2 weeks ago

Containers are loaded and unloaded on Feb. 4 at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta.

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Indonesia’s CPTPP accession: Unlocking opportunity

As the global trading system continues to face pressures and shocks, CPTPP offers a unique platform for ambition: to deepen trade, expand opportunities for businesses and uphold high standards.

2 weeks ago

Luojiashan tanker sits anchored in Muscat on March 7, 2026, amid the United States-Israeli war with Iran that has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

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Neither the US nor Iran can halt sea trade, insurance can

While missiles capture the headlines, it is the silent calculations of the insurance market that truly hold the power to paralyze global trade.

2 weeks ago

An elderly person carries a staple food package on March 10, 2026, that was distributed at the courtyard of the Darussalam Palangka Raya Great Mosque in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. The provincial administration held a low-cost market operation providing various food staples at prices below market rates to help stabilize supply and prices ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday.

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Indonesia’s fiscal crisis in plain sight

Rising food prices coupled with rising fuel prices, could form a dangerous recipe for social unrest.

2 weeks ago

A pedestrian wearing a mask is seen walking in front of the Tosari Transjakarta bus shelter in Central Jakarta on Dec. 8, 2025.

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Clean air cannot wait for Asia’s megacities

Transportation emissions pose our most pressing challenge and our greatest opportunity.

2 weeks ago

A cargo ship waits its turn to cross the Panama Canal in Panama City on March 2, 2024.

Academia

China’s global port network is clustering near riskiest trade routes

The scale of China’s involvement in overseas ports has fueled debate over whether these investments are purely commercial or serve broader strategic goals.

2 weeks ago

Residents crowd to choose snacks on Feb. 22, 2026, at the Pasar Takjil Ramadan Bendungan Hilir in Central Jakarta. The Benhil Ramadan market draws large numbers of visitors during the holy month of Ramadan, seeking a variety of iftar dishes, including fried snacks sold for Rp 4,000 (24 US cents) each, 'bubur sumsum' (rice porridge) priced at Rp 15,000 to Rp 20,000 per serving, fried chicken at Rp 15,000 to Rp 20,000 per piece and other foods for breaking the fast. The market opens at 2 p.m.

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Celebrate victory, honor the Earth: The guide to a sustainable Idul Fitri

Recognizing how deeply our daily lives connected to forest and plantation products with deforestation risks, we hold the power to drive sustainable consumption and production.

2 weeks ago

Tensions soar: A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli air strike on Monday in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran- backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during United States-Israeli strikes.

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Autocratic and self-interest driven leadership started the Iran war

From a liberalist perspective, the war highlights a failure of the norms-based system and a lack of commitment to peaceful dispute resolution.

2 weeks ago

Personnel from a joint military and police team remove the bodies of a Smart Air pilot and copilot on Feb. 12 at Korowai airfield in Boven Digoel regency, South Papua.

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Distorted development fuels long-lasting violence in Papua

Economic development in Papua has become a "ticking time bomb," where exclusionary policies and resource exploitation have not only failed to bring peace but are actively fueling a new cycle of violence.

2 weeks ago

A civil society member holds a poster on Nov. 6, 2025, during a rally opposing the government's plan to grant former president Soeharto a national hero title near the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto granted Soeharto the title of national hero on Nov. 10, in a ceremony at the State Palace in Central Jakarta.

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Before Iran and Venezuela, there was Indonesia

History records US’ many previous attempts to subvert, shape and subordinate Indonesia in the decades after its independence.

2 weeks ago

Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel attend a Christmas security briefing on Dec. 24, 2025, at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Jakarta.

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Remilitarization and the fight for civil supremacy

Widespread remilitarization initiatives demonstrate how state administrators are unwilling to carry out the people’s demands and 1998 reform mandates.

2 weeks ago

Cargo ships and tankers are seen on Feb. 25, 2026, in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates.

Academia

Mideast oil shock signals supply crunch

The sudden and acute disruption to Middle East oil supplies caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran is forcing buyers to tap every available barrel, rapidly dismantling forecasts of an oil glut this year.

2 weeks ago

Water world: The Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) Offshore North West Java (ONWJ) oil and gas rig is pictured in the waters off Indramayu, West Java, on April 2, 2023.

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Fossil fuel subsidy reform is now a fiscal imperative

Reforming fossil fuel subsidies is no longer just an environmental or efficiency goal; it is a matter of fiscal survival of the country.

2 weeks ago

A Padang Disaster Mitigation Agency worker fills buckets with clean water on Jan. 18 for residents in Vila Tarok, Pasa Ambacang, Kuranji district, Padang, West Sumatra. The Pauh and Kuranji districts are facing a clean water crisis after wells dried up and dams and irrigation systems were damaged by flooding in Nov. 2025.

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Water cooperation and the test of multilateralism

Country-led action on water, guided by a common vision and supported by a more aligned UN system, can demonstrate that multilateralism is capable of reform and results.

2 weeks ago

This image grab taken from Iranian state television broadcasted on February 28, show the site of deadly United States and Israeli strikes on a girls' elementary school in Minab, in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

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The law of the jungle in the US-Israel war on Iran

The war is a stark reflection of the law of the jungle still operates within the international community.

2 weeks ago

Employees work on the assembly line for the ID.3 electric car of German carmaker Volkswagen, at the 'Glaeserne Manufaktur ( Transparent Factory) production site in Dresden, eastern Germany, on May 14, 2025.

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A stronger work ethic won't fix advanced economies

What Merz witnessed in Hangzhou was not the product of longer working hours. It was the result of massive, directed investment.

2 weeks ago

An employee displays U.S. dollar banknotes at Bank Syariah Indonesia in South Tangerang, Banten, on Jan. 21, 2026.

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What gold’s relentless rise is telling us about the dollar

As gold surges past $5,200, the "exorbitant privilege" of the US dollar is facing a reckoning driven by policy overreach and a global trust deficit.

2 weeks ago

Tourists free dive in a coral reef site on Dec. 28, 2025, at the Oluhuta Paradise tourist attraction in Bone Bolango regency, Gorontalo. Visits to the special-designation tourism site increased from an average of 19 people per day to about 130 people per day during the 2025 Christmas and 2026 New Year holiday period.

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Why the world needs the Ocean Impact Summit

As the 2026 Ocean Impact Summit in Bali approaches, the global community faces a critical choice: bridge the massive financing gap for our oceans now or pay the staggering price of economic and environmental collapse later.

2 weeks ago

Logos of ride-hailing service providers Gojek and Grab are seen on helmets on Nov. 12, 2025, worn by an ojol (online motorcycle transportation) driver and his passenger in Jakarta.

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Gig workers’ fight for rights gains momentum from Geneva to Jakarta

The government should know that gig workers want rights equal to most employees and anything less than comprehensive employer-sponsored schemes is just not enough.

2 weeks ago

Residents line up on Feb. 3, 2025, to exchange 3-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canisters in Cibodas, Tangerang, Banten. Residents in Tangerang city said that it had been difficult for them to receive the gas canisters following the government’s new policy prohibiting their sale at the retailer level and requiring people to buy them from official distribution centers.

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Reforming LPG subsidy scheme in uncertain times

As Middle East conflicts drive global price volatility, Indonesia must replace its outdated, "one-size-fits-all" LPG subsidy with a targeted direct-transfer system to protect both the poor and the state budget.

2 weeks ago

Flames and smoke rise from the Fujairah oil industry zone on Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates.

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Time for emergency ASEAN Plus Three summit

An emergency summit could identify credible mediating actors and outline a division of labor among regional stakeholders to pursue arrangements that allow neutral inspection and joint coordination mechanisms to guarantee safe passage for energy shipments.

2 weeks ago

A cargo ship is seen off coast city of Fujairah on Feb. 25 in the Strait of Hormuz in the northern part of the United Arab Emirates.

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US-Israel war against Iran is upending global energy markets

The critical question now is not only whether the Strait of Hormuz will reopen, but how much more damage Iran will inflict on critical energy infrastructure.

2 weeks ago

A worker cleans a room on Sept. 8, 2025, at Wisma Danantara Indonesia, South Jakarta. In its first six months of operation, state asset fund Danantara recorded several important achievements, including securing US$10 billion (Rp 163.18 trillion) in funding from a consortium of 12 foreign banks.

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Danantara at one: Between the promise and the proof so far

One year in, Danantara has proven it can move mountains of capital, but the real test is whether it can move the needle on structural reform without falling into the old traps of state-directed lending.

2 weeks ago

Miniature robot and toy hands point toward the words “Artificial intelligence AI" in this illustration created on Dec. 14, 2023.

Academia

Investors can still outwit AI, but only if they’re unpredictable

When dealing with problems that have a large degree of qualitative uncertainty or where the answer requires a judgment call, genAI is just as biased as most humans.

2 weeks ago

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