When FIFA tosses out its own rule book after a phone call from the US president Trump, it proves that the pitch is never truly free from politics.

A pattern of last-minute reversals raises a troubling question about Indonesia’s foreign policy: whether it is guided by a steady, strategic vision or merely reacting to public pressure.

For much of Indonesia's modern history, right from the moment when STOVIA, the country’s first medical school set up by the Dutch colonial government became the training ground for Indonesia’s nationalist leaders, up through the current day as students voice their opposition against government policies from campus halls, higher education institutions have always been an integral part of Indonesian politics.

From the introduction of barracks slang in corporate offices to lethal boot camps for civilian managers, Indonesia is quietly sliding back into a dangerous era of creeping militarization.

The relationship between India and Indonesia has suffered from strategic caution, a tendency to drift into parallel diplomatic orbits rather than actively combining forces to shape global policy.

Coming so soon after Indonesia drew a disapproving global eye toward its financial market and economic policymaking, perhaps the legal protections afforded to buyers of Patriot and Merah Putih bonds in the amended law demands a rethink, if not an overhaul.

As Jakarta aims for global city status, a string of fatal infrastructure failures reveals the deadly cost of government neglect and unmanaged urban growth.

The conviction of a prominent tech reformer exposes a deeper, more systemic crisis: it casts a doubt over whether Indonesia can truly court global investors and elite talent.

The government should focus on helping journalists and media organizations rebuild sustainable business models that enable Indonesian journalism to remain financially viable while continuing to serve democracy and the public interest.

Behind the National Police’s glowing 82 percent public approval rating lies a much darker reality of corruption, violence and a desperate need for real reform.

In the Dutch context, colonial events are known, documented, even taught, but their moral weight remains strangely muted. 

In trying to manage the optics of the recent student protests instead of responding to the legitimate public grievances they convey, the government is certainly not putting itself in any democratic light.

Jakarta’s crowded new parks aren't just a sign of success, they are a stark warning that access to green space must be treated as a basic urban right, not a luxury.

Indonesia’s temporary reprieve from an MSCI downgrade bought the market some time, but empty promises won't stop a devastating sell-off unless regulators finally stop talking and start executing real transparency reforms before the November deadline.

When populist price caps collide with soaring global markets, resource nationalism doesn't protect the public—it just leaves them in the dark.

As El Niño intensifies, this year's dry season has already triggered severe water shortages and rampant wildfires in an emerging crisis that will serve as a high-stakes litmus test for the food security agenda and climate adaptation policies of the Prabowo administration.

A fragile US-Iran peace deal brings global relief, but it leaves Indonesia with a stark wake-up call after a distant conflict reached into its kitchens and effectively turned off the lights in Jakarta.

For all its progress, however, Jakarta continues to struggle with the consequences of its rapid urban growth.

As soccer's old guard stumbles against a fierce new wave of global underdogs, the expanding World Cup proves that the gap between the giants and the rest is officially dead.

In the 20 months that he has been in power, the President has not only had to deal with street protests early in his administration, he has also had to face relentless demonstrations that ebbed and flowed depending on how well the public responded to his policies.

Levering his unique background as a democratically elected former general, President Prabowo Subianto is uniquely positioned to break ASEAN's deadlock and rewrite history as Myanmar’s peacemaker.

The acid attack against Andrie Yunus is now at risk of becoming another case of justice eluded, proving yet again that the public has nothing to expect from the justice system.

The agency needs to keep in mind that the most effective way to build lasting trust is through transparency. 

Success shouldn't be measured by headline-grabbing numbers, but by whether free meals actually reach the vulnerable children who need them most.

The newly amended Police Law betrays the spirit of the Reform era, turning the force into a political counterweight rather than a professional protector.

The case of fraudulent presenters at an international research conference exposes glaring vulnerabilities in the country's education system that stem from misplaced and misguided priorities.

A national internship program won't save Indonesia’s stalling demographic bonus unless the government addresses the real crisis: a severe shortage of formal jobs.