Indonesia has spent a decade teaching the world that it controls the supply of nickel, palm oil, and now renewable electricity. The harder question is whether Jakarta can also set the rules by which those products are sold.

As the government seeks to shore up fiscal stability amid slowing tax revenue and rising spending pressures, it is turning to controversial new revenue measures, including imposing VAT on toll roads and removing tax exemptions for EV. These policies could slow adoption even as the country pushes electrification to reduce reliance on costly fuel imports.

Policy debates around tobacco control objectives are framed increasingly in terms of nicotine elimination rather than eliminating harmful exposure to smoke. 

It's time to stop the false solutions and return the power of natural resource management to the hands of the people.  

The government's choice to respond to uncomfortable public statements with police reports and takedown requests only proves the shrinking space for freedom of expression.

What lessons can our region, East Asia, learn to avoid falling into security predicaments and instability? 

As the Artemis Accords reshape global lunar norms, Jakarta must decide if diplomatic inclusion outweighs its current Earth-focused space priorities.

Ratifying the ILO’s fishing convention is a diplomatic milestone for Indonesia, but translating paper promises into real protections for fishers requires dismantling deep-seated legal and bureaucratic barriers.

As the rupiah grapples with a "perfect storm" of global dollar strength and domestic regulatory uncertainty, Indonesia faces a critical test of market confidence that may require a fresh infusion of professional leadership to resolve.

This is the hallmark of what the academic community recognizes as citation rings: coordinated, often tacit agreements among affiliated journals to cite one another's work, artificially inflating impact metrics.

When we glorify the exhaustion of young doctors as heroism, we ignore the systemic cracks that turn healers into "shock absorbers" for a failing healthcare system.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has detained Samin Tan as a suspect in a graft case implicating several officials in the alleged illegal mining activities conducted by PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (PT AKT), of which Samin is a beneficial owner. This is not the first time the coal tycoon has faced legal trouble in a case implicating public servants, and the latest case comes amid President Prabowo Subianto’s broader crackdown on illegal mining. Meanwhile, the legal process also highlights the growing reach of the extrajudicial authority of the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH).

The financial independence of the Indonesian Military (TNI) has come under scrutiny following a leaked draft of a government regulation on TNI duties, which appears to open the door for funding from sources outside the state budget. The controversy, however, points to a deeper structural issue: Defense spending in Indonesia has long been deprioritized relative to other national priorities such as infrastructure development, energy subsidies, social assistance and food security.

Economists have warned of climbing inflation as soon as this month, as more of the global price pressure caused by the Middle East conflict is passed on to domestic consumers.

The World Bank’s latest work confirms that industrial policy is more replicable across income levels and institutional contexts than the old consensus admitted.

Malaysia does not need to be a military actor in the US-Israeli war against Iran to be strategically affected by it.

A fundamental stance must be emphasized: nuclear weapons must be rejected as a bargaining chip for geopolitical stability.

Sovereignty is not proven by rejecting help, but rather by never becoming desperate enough to need it.

As we tout a new law to protect the vulnerable, the dismissal of historical atrocities and the stripping of political quotas reveal a nation still deeply invested in making its women disappear.

The government’s "new social contract" might offer immediate relief to gig drivers, but by slashing commissions to 8 percent, the state risks bankrupting the very digital giants that power the economy.

Domestic workers work long hours and do all kind of chores for low wages and have little or no legal recourse in case of harassment or abuse, as they are completely at the mercy of their employers, or “masters” in this system of modern slavery that persists in Indonesia.

Indonesia must trade its outdated regional rivalries for a sophisticated maritime strategy that honors international law while finally turning the Malacca Strait into a true engine for national growth.

Beyond elite projections and "future shock," futures studies is evolving into a participatory tool for resilience against digital colonialism and cascading global crises. In their work, Ziauddin Sardar and Mirza Sarajklic call for a shift from passive observation to active, indigenous foresight to navigate our post-normal world.

The Myanmar junta believes it has weathered an acute threat to its survival; however, this perception rests on a miscalculation.

When headline-grabbing "state loss" prosecutions replace rigorous evidence, Indonesia risks trading its top talent and foreign investment for a judicial spectacle where everyone loses.

When "quick wins" collide with deep-rooted regional resilience, global powers face a sobering reality: in the age of drone warfare and strategic miscalculation, air sovereignty is no longer just a legal concept - it is the ultimate survival tool.

As Indonesia audits for a global starring role alongside giants like the US and China, its traditional seat as ASEAN's anchor is starting to look like a mere side stage. From transactional energy deals to a pragmatic silence on regional norms, President Prabowo Subianto is redrawing Jakarta’s map, leaving Southeast Asia wondering if its leader has finally outgrown the neighborhood.