As Trump is pushing the EU to finally get serious about a common defense, a Taiwan crisis will force ASEAN to rise as a geopolitical power. 

Indonesia’s climate documents have failed to adequately address the social and environmental aspects that are fundamental to a just transition.

Turkey is not Indonesia’s largest defense industry partner by quantity. But the DCA, if materializes, will serve as a strong foundation for further partnership.

When the tax system falters, it does not merely inconvenience taxpayers, but it also risks undermining public trust in government institutions and stalls broader reform efforts.

From the outset of Prabowo Subianto’s presidency, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) was touted to play an opposition role. However, four months since he took office, the party has barely made headway in contesting any significant legislation, let alone take a firm, public stand in opposition to Prabowo.

Indonesia, while it has been spared from Trump's crosshairs thus far, needs to start shoring up support and getting its house in order as the world descends into a new state of disorder.

With Trump’s elite supporters prioritizing their own narrow agendas over democratic principles, the risk of a slide toward authoritarianism should be obvious.

Chinese military pilots are showing increasingly aggressive behavior in the skies, akin to that of military vessels on the seas, ramping up the growing threat they pose in both domains.

Danantara holds promise, but unless Indonesia addresses structural weaknesses, the fund risks becoming another state-controlled financial instrument subject to political cycles. 

Competition could prevent the kind of abuses that have been going on within the company, oftentimes unpunished. For consumers, competition will ensure they can buy the best products they deserve.

What Trump has done to Zelenskyy bears similarity to colonial economic arrangements, in which a weaker nation must grant the powerful access to its natural wealth in exchange for protection. 

The history of fuel governance in Indonesia indicates that transparency and accountability challenges are not new; rather, they are recurring issues.

President Prabowo Subianto has officially launched the highly anticipated Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) Investment Management Agency, announcing an ambitious initial investment wave totaling Rp 325 trillion (US$20 billion) across 20 strategic projects. Through these projects, President Prabowo reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to long-term sustainable growth aimed at strengthening Indonesia’s economic foundation.

Donald Trump’s bleak diagnosis of the US economy is not grounded in reality – at least not yet.

In essence, there can be no substitute for an educated and literate public with a discerning and critically analytical mind, as well as to have cognitive and affective means to protect itself from transgressions.

The fragmentation of trading markets provides likemined, pro-growth nations like Australia and Indonesia with the opportunity to turn toward each other.

AI-powered systems can streamline tax collection, optimize budget allocation and detect fraud in public procurement, thereby increasing transparency and accountability.

For financial conglomerates, the challenge is no longer about compliance, it’s about transformation.

There have been worries about the independence, integrity and credibility of Danantara. There is also skepticism about Danantara’s ability to operate independently of political influences.

The massive student demonstrations that erupted in several cities in Indonesia last week were the most serious anti-government protests since President Prabowo Subianto took charge in October. Clearly, all is not well in spite of his high approval ratings.

Relying more on SOEs has proved to be problematic because of rampant corruption and scandals.

Comparing the austerity experiments of Europe, Argentina and the US to the present day as a necessary hardship traces its evolutionary path from a misguided "cure" for ailing economies to a political weapon; neither is a good idea.

The Cook Islands' recent deals with China represents a shift from soft- to hard-edged diplomacy in the Pacific.

Riyadh has been emerging as a neutral ground for mediating geopolitical issues in recent years and Trump’s return to the White House has opened other opportunities as a player in global diplomacy, though its broader strategy is still firmly rooted in the Gulf, with a foothold in the Global South.

The most likely measure to address cybercrime is with the reverse proof system, which places the burden of proof on the perpetrator. 

Adopting at least four of the Santiago Principles, described as "the globally accepted standards for governance, investment and risk management practices for sovereign wealth funds" by the SWF international forum, will help ensure the independence, transparency and attractiveness of the nascent Danantara fund.

The recent launch of Indonesia's first bullion bank, within the framework of a 2023 financial development law and an OJK regulation, marks a significant step forward in the country's potential entry to the global gold market, as well as greater wealth and economic self-sufficiency.