Market routs and wildfire smoke may have clouded October, but Indonesia's rock-solid fundamentals and massive infrastructure boom prove that betting against Southeast Asia’s economic heavyweight is a mistake.

Bank Indonesia is taking a high-stakes gamble with a multi-tool strategy to spur domestic growth while defending the rupiah. But can its competing policy instruments avoid canceling each other out?

The ASEAN membership now will reinforce Indonesia-Timor-Leste partnership, but will also make it easier for the governments to leave the past unaddressed. 

Two years into their five-year mandate, President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka face mounting public dissatisfaction. Widespread protests and falling survey indicators point to deepening frustration over the administration’s performance.

A bloated budget where expenditure growth outpaces revenue growth is typically the hallmark of a crisis. Yet, the official narrative remains sanguine.

Modern nationalism should require Indonesian women and girls to also spearhead science and technology in all spheres of life.

Jakarta is positioning itself not merely as Indonesia’s largest city, but as a place where global talent and local energy meet on terms that benefit residents.

Indonesia does not need more institutions to become a better economy: It needs stronger state capacity backed by accountable institutions, predictable rules and credible law enforcement.

Instead of letting Andrea Bocelli’s upcoming shows in Indonesia divide the country, we should transform his stage into an uncompromising global platform for Palestinian justice and humanitarian solidarity.

The Government respects the findings of the Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) survey as one reflection of public perceptions of the implementation of democracy in Indonesia.

Knowledge is not neutral; it can be deployed to legitimize those residing in the ivory tower just as easily as those seated at the policy table. Crucially, knowledge must travel if it is to inform state responses to recurring crises.

Two years into his presidency, President Prabowo Subianto is pursuing an ambitious agenda of state-led programs, from the free nutritious meal program to the Red and White Cooperatives. But as billions of dollars flow into these flagship initiatives, pressing needs in education, health care and disaster preparedness remain underfunded. The question is no longer whether Prabowo can fulfill his political ambitions, but whether Indonesians can afford the costs of pursuing them.

In its rush to escape Western arms embargoes, Indonesia risks trading an American veto for Russian and Turkish ones - discovering, as Pakistan did, that true air power cannot simply be bought on foreign credit.

Brief showers won’t stop El Niño’s burn. Jakarta must put pride aside and trigger ASEAN’s haze pact before the fires spiral further out of control.

After many decades of loss, mangroves and coastal wetlands are showing signs of incredible recovery.

While mainstream media paints Gadi Eisenkot as a moderate alternative to Benjamin Netanyahu, it sidelines a brutal truth: the retired general laid the very doctrinal blueprint for Gaza’s obliteration.

By pursuing rapprochement with Min Aung Hlaing, Southeast Asian leaders risk trading democratic credibility for empty concessions from a crumbling regime.

Nearly a century after the Youth Pledge, Indonesia’s demographic promise will not be fulfilled in speeches, but in whether its economy can offer millions of waiting young people their critical first job.

To save Indonesia from a humiliating market downgrade, policymakers must abandon defensive rhetoric and deploy the painful, proven audit blueprint that rescued the nation’s banks in 1998.

Indonesia does not lack spokespersons. What it is missing is diplomacy as the center of gravity of its foreign policy.

Last Friday was a Black Friday for Indonesian stocks. A market sell-off wiped out US$65 billion in value and sent the Indonesia Composite Index (IDX) plunging 11.6 percent, its steepest drop since 1998. The market did not crash because corporate fundamentals suddenly weakened, but because investors punished regulators for turning a blind eye to market abuses and acting only after MSCI forced their hand.

Unless Indonesia tackles its worsening corruption and regulatory chaos at home, joining the high-standard CPTPP will deliver mere diplomatic prestige rather than real economic gains.

Weaponizing gas pipes and subsea cables won’t clear Southeast Asia’s skies; genuine leadership means putting out the fires together before burning down ASEAN unity.

From an audacious anti-colonial pledge to a global language fighting for relevance abroad, Indonesian proves that a national tongue is never just spoken—it must be continually fought for.

From the trenches of Ukraine to the skies above Jakarta, the rise of cheap, weaponized drones is upending modern warfare, and forcing a high-stakes rewrite of global aviation law.

Developing the full potential of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor is becoming a major priority for Russia’s cooperation with international partners in the Arctic.

The Nobel Peace Prize is controversial by nature, but this year's awarding is even more controversial.