A man waves as he and his coworkers leave the Sukoharjo factory of PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex) in Central Java on Feb. 28, 2025, just a day before the textile giant ceased operations due to bankruptcy, as declared by the Semarang Commercial Court on Oct. 21, 2024.

The urgency to revise the outdated bankruptcy law

Indonesia is long overdue for a new bankruptcy law in this age of free trade globalization, especially one that contains provisions on cross-border insolvency.

2 weeks ago

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From geopolitics to geocivic: Building the ASEAN Community from the ground up

ASEAN has established itself as a geopolitical and geoeconomic entity. The next step is to become a geocivic community. ...

2 weeks ago

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When food governance becomes a maze

If Indonesia’s food governance is too bureaucratic for the elites, what hope is there for small-scale farmers and communities? ...

2 weeks ago

The Latest

A woman and her children are tested for tuberculosis (TB) on May 14, 2025, at a Puskesmas (community health center) in Bandung, West Java.

Academia

Multilateralism must work in practice

At 80, the UN stands at a crossroads as a stalwart of multilateralism, and the way forward is to show that this works through cooperation, prioritization and action that is inclusive and respectful of the needs of developing countries, especially for localized solutions.

2 weeks ago

People wait to receive food at an aid distribution point in Sagaing on April 3, 2025, following the 7.7-magnitude shallow earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, killing nearly 3,000 people and leaving thousands without homes.

Academia

How growing ASEAN leadership helps the region manage disasters

The so-called humanitarian reset is shifting the response to humanitarian crises, whether caused by natural disasters or man-made conflicts, to local leadership, with international organizations playing a supportive, complementary role.

2 weeks ago

United States President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands on Aug. 15, 2025, as they close a joint press conference following the US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Academia

Trump-Putin summit: Why ASEAN cannot afford to be a spectator

The Trump-Putin spectacle last Friday should serve as a cautionary tale for ASEAN, encouraging it to stay the course in its unique brand of diplomacy, one that is based on substance, not optics, as it navigates great power theatrics and affirms its place on the global stage.

2 weeks ago

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen on Aug. 15, 2025, in Gaza City.

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Starvation in Gaza and our global shame

There is a growing consensus that Israel is committing the most serious of crimes in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare.

2 weeks ago

Fed up: Members of grassroot groups stage a protest on Wednesday outside Pati Regent Sudewo's office in Central Java. Protestors called for Sudewo's immediate resignation amid a wave of controversy sparked by his widely criticized policies.

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Pati, Indonesian Spring and 80 years of muddling through

As Indonesia turns 80, state ceremonies are grand. But behind the performances, a deeper reality lingers: Anger is rising.

2 weeks ago

A person dressed as United States President Donald Trump greets visitors outside the White House on June 22 in Washington, DC.

Academia

Finding clarity in the eye of the global storm

What are the options for corporations, investors and policy makers in this whirlwind of uncertainties?

2 weeks ago

Women sort plastic waste as a raw material for producing Petasol on Aug. 8 in Pekanbaru, Riau. Petasol is a diesel-equivalent fuel developed by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and deployed at over 50 sites nationwide to support sustainable energy and plastic waste management.

Academia

When neutrality becomes complicity in fight against plastic pollution

Despite facing severe impacts from plastic waste, Indonesia has chosen a middle-ground stance, aligning with neither the high-ambition nor the low-ambition camp.

2 weeks ago

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Indonesia’s cyber force debate misses the real battle: Talent

Indonesia ranks low in the Tufts’ Digital Evolution Index, IMD’s Digital Competitiveness Ranking and the Network Readiness Index, indicating a less digitally integrated economy and society.

2 weeks ago

Palestinians gather to receive cooked meals from a food distribution center in Gaza City on Aug. 13, 2025.

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Prioritize Palestine, not Hamas

Making the dissolution of Hamas a prerequisite for the establishment of a Palestinian state is an act of coercion that disregards the root causes of the issue.

2 weeks ago

Members of the national flag-raising troop (Paskibraka) march in formation on Aug. 14, 2025, during a rehearsal of the Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta.

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Indonesia at 80: A nation adrift, without a moral compass

At the age of 80, Indonesia has reached a crossroads where it must decide which path to take: the one it has trod in the past that benefits only a handful of elite, or a wholly new course to restore its moral compass and pursue prosperity for all.

2 weeks ago

Taking pride: Elementary school students salute the national flag during a ceremony to mark the country’s 79th Independence Day on Aug. 17, 2024, in Mbeteng Sata at the foot of Mount Prau in Temanggung, Central Java.

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The truth will set and keep Indonesia free

A great nation requires political leaders who admit mistakes, citizens who demand transparency and institutions that place integrity above loyalty to personalities.

2 weeks ago

A student, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, uses a computer on Nov. 17, 2020, at a lab room at the '1337' information technology training center in Morocco's central city of Khouribga.

Academia

Before we digitize classrooms, we must humanize them

If a teacher lacks the skills to connect, inspire and manage a room full of students, the introduction of technology, no matter how advanced, will not bridge the knowledge gap.

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Members of grassroot groups stage a protest on Aug. 13, 2025 outside Pati Regent Sudewo's office in Central Java. Protesters called for Sudewo's immediate resignation amid a wave of controversy sparked by his widely criticized policies.

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When governance loses its moral compass: Lessons from Pati

In a democracy, the legitimacy of government depends not only on electoral mandates but also on moral credibility.

2 weeks ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) inspects troops from a vehicle on Aug. 10 during the Operational Troops and Military Honours ceremony as he inaugurates commanders of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus), Marine Corps and Air Force Quick Reaction Command (Kopasgat) at the Suparlan Airfield in Bandung, West Java.

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How Prabowo’s Indonesia can avoid a regional security dilemma

Indonesia's military expansion risks sparking a security dilemma, where defensive measures are misperceived as aggressive, potentially unsettling Southeast Asia’s delicate balance

3 weeks ago

Bogor city Police chief Sr. Comr. Bismo Teguh Prakoso (thrid right) holds seized evidence from the arrest of online gambling website developers during a press briefing at the Bogor city Police headquarters in West Java on Nov. 8, 2024.

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Reforming KUHAP without redressing the power imbalance

In the name of law, political opponents are criminalized, pressured into submission and absorbed back into the political fold once neutralized.

3 weeks ago

Protesters throw water bottles and stones on Aug. 13 at the official residence of Pati Regent Sudewo during a protest.

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The property tax hassle that put Pati's regent in trouble

Greater autonomy awarded to regional governments has not been matched by adequate financial independence.

3 weeks ago

Conserving resources: Employees work in a workshop that recycles copper on July 11 in Anqing, in China's eastern Anhui province.

Academia

China’s fight against price wars is an uphill battle

China’s anti-involution efforts have had some success, but this will likely not be a short fight.

3 weeks ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 25, 2025.

Academia

India–Indonesia partnership: Two flags, one vision

A combination of Indonesia’s rich nickel and critical minerals with India’s manufacturing expertise can build regional green supply chains.

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Students pray on Jan. 6 before eating their lunch on the first day of the free nutritious meal program at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Aceh. Indonesia launched the ambitious US$4.3 billion free meals program on Jan. 6 to combat stunting caused by malnutrition, a key election promise of President Prabowo Subianto.

Academia

Is Indonesia today at its richest? Ask children

Stunting in children and lack of water reliability are early warnings of whether a society protects its own.

3 weeks ago

Academia

When no one leads, everyone loses: Breaking stalemate in industrial decarbonization

“We are not only responsible for what we do, but also for what we do not do” – Moliére

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Interactive nutrition education: A preschool teacher introduces children to the “Isi Piringku” (My Plate) program at Batu City Hall, East Java. The program, supported by the Batu city administration and Danone Indonesia, aims to promote balanced nutrition and help prevent childhood stunting, a critical public health issue highlighted in the call for a national nutrition resilience protocol.

Academia

Indonesia Needs a National Nutrition Resilience Protocol

In a world marked by growing political instability, climate disruption, and volatile global trade, Indonesia’s food and nutrition security can no longer be left to chance.

1 month ago

Protesters throw water bottles and stones at the official residence of Pati Regent Sudewo during a protest on Aug. 13, 2025.

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What if protest in Central Java small town could be a warning for Jakarta elite?

With a population of a little over 1 million people, the impoverished regency is mostly known for its stories of black magic and export of roasted ground nut.

3 weeks ago

A person uses AI software on a laptop on July 2 during the opening of the new Synthesia headquarters in central London.

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Can democracy survive AI?

Today, ever-smarter algorithms increasingly predict and shape our every choice, enabling unprecedentedly effective forms of centralized, unaccountable surveillance and control.

3 weeks ago

Amir Hamzah (Lukman Sardi) and Ilik Sundari (Sri Qadariatin) star as lovebirds in the play Nyanyi Sunyi Revolusi (The Quiet Singing of Revolution).

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A revolution, a rumor and a new poet's death

Attributing the death of poet Amir Hamzah in March 1946 simply to “social revolution in East Sumatra” is an historical injustice.

3 weeks ago

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) welcomes Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Aug. 5, 2025, during a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential residence in New Delhi.

Academia

A new strategic era for India and the Philippines

In marking 75 years of bilateral relations, India and the Philippines have transitioned into a strategic partnership amid the evolving dynamics in the wider Indo-Pacific.

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A coal-fired power plant stands beneath a hazy sky along Jakarta’s northern coast on July 4, 2024.

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Asia’s coal reckoning: Can it shut down the past to power the future?

Asia, which is home to 78 percent of the world's coal power capacity and 80 percent of millions of coal workers, needs to make a pivotal decision to cut its umbilical to the dirty fuel and embrace renewables to ensure a sustainable future for the region.

3 weeks ago