Now that FIFA has stripped Indonesia of its right to host the event, the country’s international credibility is at stake.

Hopes abound among the global community and the people of Myanmar that ASEAN under Indonesia’s chairmanship will achieve major breakthroughs in its bid to stop the power-hungry military from oppressing the people.

Seeing that international payments systems can be "weaponized" as part of economic warfare and observing the global divide in the US-China rivalry, Indonesia achieving financial independence through a domestic payments system would be wise.

Unless the enforcement of existing laws is not strengthened to build up a stronger GCG system within the business sector, even the omnibus law on job creation may be rendered less effective to boost investment.

It is just the common rule that foreign visitors are obliged to behave, respect and obey the local laws and norms. 

There is no question that this is a challenging time for all, as we are facing a fraught period of geopolitical alignment and an increasingly volatile global economy. 

Even more problematic than the ITE Law itself is the architecture of power that enabled its passage and perpetuates its use.

The DCA negotiations had sparked fierce debate in this country, with many, fueled by nationalist sentiment, believing the defense cooperation scheme would constitute a loss of Indonesian sovereignty by allowing Singaporean military to train on Indonesian soil. 

Indonesia should continue to voice its long-held opposition to the nuclearization of the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world for that matter.

It is no big secret that the sociocultural pillar is one of the most overlooked portfolios in the ASEAN ecosystem.

In the same week that the US financial authorities had again to fend off a potential crisis from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and reports that tension has risen between President Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymir Zelensky, especially over the sabotage of the Nord Stream II pipeline, China scored a massive political victory in the Middle East.

The Finance Ministry’s inspectorate general and tax intelligence division hardly played a part in the disclosure of corruption cases involving ministry officials so far.

The upcoming arrival of Israel has ignited a furor in the country, but as a good host Indonesia should not mix sports with politics.

With Jokowi set to leave office in October of next year, we are confident that whoever succeeds him will consider China a top diplomatic priority and that Indonesia’s foreign policy will remain largely constant.

President Jokowi should assert his leadership, if he is really serious about achieving the renewables target he flaunted at the G20 Summit in Bali.

The President's credibility is at stake as he continues to leave the greater public in the dark over whether he will finally reshuffle his Cabinet as he has promised, repeatedly.

Flaunting wealth seems to be an obsession these days, fueled in large part by the reach and instant gratification of social media.

Many are questioning how residential areas could have been constructed so close to such dangerous facilities.

Should the Fed decide on a further increase in its federal funds rate, that would challenge BI to follow suit, or else the rupiah will come under pressure and imported inflation will rise.

The South China Sea is becoming the main potential flashpoint in the rivalry between the two powers, more so than tension over the Taiwan Strait to its north. 

President Jokowi "Jokowi" Widodo has repeatedly washed his hands from the campaigns to keep him in power, saying he will step down when the time comes.

KCI’s plan to import used train is a good short-term solution, but a longer-term plan should be put in place.

Civil society groups have raised serious concerns about the potential co-option of the court by the executive and legislative bodies, which further fuels the belief that there has been an attempt by the political elites to dismantle our democratic institutions. 

The government can seek assistance from credible organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to mediate a dialog with the armed group if the issue of trust is all that keeps the negotiation from positive results.

In an effort to prevent corruption within the Taxation Directorate General, the institution’s civil servants have the highest take-home pay in the state bureaucracy.

The close synergy between the government’s fiscal policy and Bank Indonesia’s monetary policy contributed to Indonesia's resilience and outstanding robust economic performance during the peak of the pandemic. 

As Indonesia aims to downstream its industries, especially metals, and is projected as one of the countries with the most economic growth in Asia, better planning in electricity is critical to ensure strong economic growth and investment. 

The millions on the waiting list, most of whom thought they had already paid in full, must now be wondering how much money they will have to fork out when they are called up. They are faced with the uncertainty not only of whether they can travel but also of whether they will be able to find the money to cover the increase, whatever that amount is.

Indonesia and the world at large, especially developing nations, have suffered as the Ukraine war exacerbates global supply chain disruptions.

The plan goes against the military reform agenda this nation embarked on 25 years ago. Among the major items of that agenda was a gradual phasing-out the TNI’s territorial functions.