BYD electric cars await export on April 18, 2024, at a port in Yantai, Shandong, China.

What a China-EU climate deal could do for the world

Chinese green-tech leadership has created an opportunity that the world cannot afford to squander. Europe must work with China to realize that potential.

1 month ago

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The words Prabowo needs to say at the UN

Prabowo can deliver the speech of his life, one that cuts through the noise and earns its place in history. ...

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Nepal’s Gen Z revolt: The economic lesson for democracies

The violent protests in Nepal demonstrate that democracy and development are inherently intertwined, and that governments must balance the dual goal of economic growth and shared prosperity. ...

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The Latest

A sarcophagus depicting a purple cow is paraded on April 14, 2024,
in Ubud, Bali, during the cremation ceremony of Tjokorda Bagus Santaka, a member of the Ubud royal family who passed away in February 2024.

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Culture, not construction, drives tourism success

Modern tourists seek more than just a place to stay: they want stories and experiences.

1 month ago

President Prabowo Subianto (center) gives a salute after addressing newly elected regional leaders during the last day of a week-long retreat at the military academy in Magelang, Central Java, on Feb. 28, 2025.

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A call for a phased approach to fiscal decentralization

Lower government spending will reduce purchasing power, and increase unemployment and poverty.

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Protesters are blocked by police with shields during a demonstration on Aug. 25 demanding the dissolution of the House of Representatives on a street in front of the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta.

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High-cost, low-productivity legislature

Data shows that House 2024 budget reached $663 million, far higher than Vietnam’s or the Philippines’ legislatures, which each spend only $150–300 million annually.

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Police fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators during a protest on Aug. 29 against the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimbob), after the death of a motorbike taxi driver the previous night, in front of the governor's residence in Surabaya.

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Embers of trust: Social cohesion in a fractured Southeast Asia

Social cohesion forms a critical foundation for the capacity of communities to coexist and legitimizes governance through accountability. Yet across Southeast Asia, the fabric of social cohesion is demonstrably fraying and we must not look away.

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Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings southwards on Sept. 16 on a road in the Nuseirat refugee camp area in the central Gaza Strip following renewed Israeli evacuation orders for Gaza City.

Academia

Doctors can’t stop a genocide, world leaders can

Every day in Gaza, children arrive at our clinics with blast injuries, infected wounds or signs of starvation. As doctors, we can try to treat their pain – but we cannot stop the bombs or lift the siege.

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President Prabowo Subianto (right) inaugurates Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (center) as finance minister at the State Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 8, 2025.

Academia

Purbayanomics and the Rp 200 trillion question

Stimulus drawn from reserves can jolt the economy today, but it also narrows Indonesia’s room for maneuver tomorrow.

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Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel march outside the National Monument (Monas) complex on Sept. 2, amid widespread anti-government protests and rioting over issues such as extra pay for lawmakers and their housing allowances that resulted in riots which escalated after a motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver was killed by a police vehicle, in Jakarta.

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Back to barracks and back to basics: The only path to a professional TNI

TNI’s hard power consists of older platforms and has limitations in modern network-centric warfare, making it vulnerability to attacks from enemies with advanced cyber capabilities and more sophisticated air defense systems.

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US President Donald Trump looks on during an event on Sept. 2 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC to announce that the Space Force Command will move from the US state of Colorado to Alabama.

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Violence as policy in Trump's America

Trump has been signaling for a decade or so that political violence committed by his supporters is acceptable and might even be rewarded.

1 month ago

Muslim worshippers gather for prayers at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 2, ahead of the annual haj.

Academia

Haj and umrah ministry: Caring for the faithful

The formation of a haj and umrah ministry reflects a domestic commitment to improving religious services and a broader diplomatic effort to elevate Indonesia’s role in global religious affairs.

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Fireworks accompany the launch of the Indonesian Navy's newest warship, the KRI Bung Hatta corvette on Feb. 27 at PT Karimun Anugrah Sejati shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands. Navy chief of staff Adm. Muhammad Ali launched the second ship from the domestically built Bung Karno-class corvette.

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Under Prabowo, Indonesia’s Navy sets sail for bigger ambitions

Frigates equipped with long-range firepower and advanced sensors, alongside heavyweight corvettes are expected to spearhead Indonesia's blue-water fleet capable of sustained Indo-Pacific operations.

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President Prabowo Subianto (center) speaks at a cabinet meeting on Aug. 6 in the State Palace, Central Jakarta.

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Beyond compliance: Toward a culture of integrity

A gap is widening between the people's expectations of fairness and transparency, and the state's ability to deliver them consistently.

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Heads of state from member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) pose for a family photo on Sept. 11, 2025, at the PIF Leaders Meeting in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara.

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PIF leaders reach agreement on big issues, but unity remains elusive

The recently held PIF Leaders Meeting showed why true integration remains challenging while island nations are at different stages of independence.

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A man is covered in Nepal's national flag as a fire rages in the president's office in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025.

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Nepal in crisis: From protest to political reckoning

Young people must be given a chance to help rebuild democratic systems, their demands must be addressed.

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Suspects from Ukraine and Russia are presented to the media following a police raid on a suspected drug lab in Tibubeneng village, Badung regency in Bali on May 13, 2024.

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Weighing the urgency of Indonesia’s extradition pact with Russia

Indonesia might have become a safe haven for Russians in Southeast Asia who wish to avoid war in Ukraine

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Pratiwi Ariyanti, a 38-year-old ojol (online motorcycle transportation driver), rides her motorcycle in Jakarta on Sept. 3, 2025 after picking up food ordered and donated by a customer from overseas in solidarity with the Indonesian protests.

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Affan’s tragedy reveals that millions of young Indonesians remain expendable

Development plans like the Long-term National Development Plan (RJPN) 2025-2045 often frame young people as economic and state instruments, valued for future productivity and conformity to state-approved personas.

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Displaced Palestinians evacuating southbound from Gaza City travel on foot and by vehicle along the coastal road on Sept. 13 in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip. (Photo by / AFP)

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Gaza’s desperation and the agony of religious diplomacy

Religious diplomacy emphasizes the role of faith, morality and shared values of religious traditions in seeking peace. It also bridges and encourages mutual understanding and tolerance.

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A gas station employee fills a vehicle on Mar. 9, 2023, at a Shell gas station in Jakarta.

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Breaking the bottleneck: Reforming the fuel distribution system

The issue is more than a logistical hiccup, it reflects deeper regulatory and market governance challenges.

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A female student holds a poster listing demands on Sept. 9 during a protest in front of the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Jakarta.

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Careful, Mr. President: The world is watching

Our system calls itself democratic yet remains deeply uneasy, even hostile, toward opposition.

1 month ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gesture during a joint press briefing at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Jan. 25, 2025.

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India and ASEAN must savor the mango flavors

Instead of being preoccupied with how other powers such as China or the United States might perceive our cooperation, India and ASEAN should focus on working together for their own sake.

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People make financial transactions at a branch office of state-owned pawnshop Pegadaian in Semarang, Central Java, in this file photo from 2015.

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The untold business of Indonesia's private pawnshops

While the OJK has issued a regulation to make licensing easier for private pawnshops, the government has yet to address the issues of governance, oversight and whether or not to integrate this lucrative but marginalized business so it can truly contribute to growth.

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Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa sings the national anthem during the handover ceremony from his predecessor Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Sept. 9 at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta.

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The unfiltered leader: When confidence clashes with convention

Because Purbaya arrived without in-group credentials, his blunt, merit-first style was framed as a status threat.

1 month ago

Thumbs up: Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa reacts to journalists after his first hearing with House of Representatives Commission XI, overseeing finance, in Jakarta on Sept. 11, 2025.

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SAL: A double-edged fiscal sword

Fragmenting cash balances across multiple banks increases inefficiency, as funds may exist but remain inaccessible when urgently needed, the IMF has warned.

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Bags of rice are seen piled up at 'Koike rice shop' in Tokyo on Feb. 14, 2025. The Japanese government said it will release its stockpile of rice, the nation's cherished staple food, reserved for emergency use in response to soaring prices.

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Food cartels threaten Prabowo's goal of food self-sufficiency

For years, a network of traders, importers, corrupt officials and political brokers have manipulated the supply and price of staple foods like rice, sugar, garlic, beef and cooking oil.

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Former Bangka Belitung Islands energy and mineral resources agency heads Amir Syahbana (left) and Suranto Wibowo (right) sit in the defendants' chair at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 31, 2024 during an indictment hearing pertaining to corruption in state-owned tin company PT Timah. Prosecutors charged the defendants, including a fellow former agency head Rusbani, of self-enrichment that caused Rp 300 trillion in state losses.

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How AI can revolutionize asset seizure, the fight against graft

The use of AI in asset forfeiture is already a reality in countries where advanced analytics are used to identify high-risk transactions and complex criminal networks.

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China's President Xi Jinping (center) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025, in this photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik.

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Can China rewrite the rules of global governance?

The SCO summit at Tianjin, China, followed by a military parade in Beijing, signal China's effort to contest the erratic policies of the Trump administration and change the global and regional orders.

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Women attend a mass prayer on Aug. 14, 2025, at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in provincial capital Banda Aceh to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Aceh peace agreement.

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Aceh’s waqf experiment: When an age-old tradition powers a new economy

Aceh's unique cultural identity and administrative status makes it fertile ground for trialing waqf-based development initiatives that could provide a contemporary model for Islamic economies worldwide.

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