The growing trend of de-dollarization, especially on the heels of the MOU to promote local currency use signed last month between the central banks of Indonesia and China as well as the global turmoil following Trump's tariff policy flip-flop, presents a strategic opportunity for Indonesia to strengthen its fiscal and monetary policies.

Eight months into Prabowo Subianto’s presidency, analysts and observers have noted Jakarta’s increasingly active stance on the international stage, with the new leader having conducted a flurry of engagements. Yet, questions remain about Indonesia’s diplomatic strategy. 

Delivering a speech at the World Government Summit back in February, President Prabowo Subianto proudly claimed his administration’s success in implementing a meritocratic government under his rule. Analysts, however, claim otherwise, as government officials appointed by the President since he took over tend to have notable ties to him without a transparent assessment of their competence.

President Prabowo's communication style, while a key part of his nationalist branding, reflects populism, which tends to divide society between "the people" and "others", who are often framed as a common enemy threatening the nation.

A political landscape increasingly dominated by right-wing sentiment has decimated Western aid spending, but the UK can still take greater leadership in today's global challenges, which require international cooperation by definition as well as the humanity that binds all peoples.

Globally, the traditional view is shifting and for Indonesia's banking sector, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Economic conditions now are strikingly different from when the nontaxable income amount was determined nine years ago.

This is not the time to validate Israel’s security narrative, not when its policies on the ground constitute apartheid, ethnic cleansing and war crimes.

The arrival of DeepSeek and robotics appears to have woken up the entrepreneurial spirit that has gone into hibernation among some businesses.

According to Law Minister Suparman Agtas, a politician from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, there is little point in the government proposing legislation if it fails to ensure its completion

The Constitutional Court's ruling on May 27, mandating that central and regional governments provide free education at elementary and junior high levels for all public and private schools, aims to promote equality in access to basic education. However, it is feared this decision may place a substantial financial burden on the state budget and have far-reaching implications for the operations of private schools in Indonesia, particularly premium ones.

More than half of the targeted 82 million children probably do not need free meals at school and would not appreciate it as much since they get better and more nutritious food at home.

By applying a one-size-fits-all carbon-pricing regime to countries with vastly different capacities, the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism undermines the principles of a just energy transition.

Headwinds from tariffs, bond yields and 'stagflation' are gathering force, but the business world of the United States could not be in better shape to face the economic storm that may be building.

Australia’s decision to turn from the United Kingdom to the United States in 1942 was born out of necessity, not sentiment. Today, echoes of that pivotal moment remind us that strategic autonomy may once again require difficult realignments.

As Indonesia moves along its path to becoming a global middle power by its centennial in 2045, it must not forget the key ingredient that will bind its aspirations into a cohesive whole: world-class intelligence capabilities.

Host communities, often indigenous and marginalized, are left with nothing.

Reports suggest mining companies have exerted undue influence over authorities, sometimes even “coopting community leaders as “mouthpieces" to support destructive projects. 

Concerns over predatory pricing and unfair competition in Indonesia’s e-commerce landscape have resurfaced following the preliminary findings presented during Initial Commission Hearing on May 27, 2025, at the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) office. The commisison revealed a notable increase in market concentration after TikTok’s acquisition of Tokopedia, raising the risk of monopolistic practices such as tying, bundling, and the influx of low-cost, illegally imported goods onto the Tokopedia platform.

People are unlikely to plan vacations when the economy is weak and the administration fails to create jobs, the primary driver of spending power and disposable income.

Long outdated is the notion of the ocean as the planet’s greatest “carbon sink”, as are the climate strategies associated with that perceived construct; rather, our oceans must be at the heart of global mitigation efforts, as they already are in the food security, cultural identity and economic resilience of coastal communities everywhere.

Pragmatism without an ambitious, principles-based vision will not go far, and the new Vision 2045 will not make ASEAN as relevant as we hope.

As the world finally wakes up to the critical climate role of oceans, which cover around 71 percent of Earth's surface, Indonesia has a clear opportunity to take the helm of global ocean governance at this week's UNOC3.

Despite their substantial contribution to national production, many smallholders remain trapped in structural disadvantages. 

Who benefits from mining in Raja Ampat? The communities who have fished these waters for centuries, or the elites and investors far removed from the consequences of ecological collapse?

The Indonesian economy is nowhere near a crisis. Growth has slowed marginally in recent months but is still robust and inflation is under control.

When President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia will open diplomatic ties with Israel if it recognizes the state of Palestine, he was paraphrasing a long-held policy in which Jakarta categorically says “no” to any relationship with the Jewish state until Palestinians gain their independent and sovereign state. Same meaning, but he just put it differently.