United States President Donald Trump shakes hands with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Jan. 22, 2026, next to's President Prabowo Subianto, as they take part in a charter announcement for Trump's Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, alongside the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland.

Embracing pragmatic transactional realism to survive Trump’s world

The long era of the liberal international order seems to be fading, replaced by a new and colder reality that could be best described as pragmatic transactional realism.

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Finding the best recruitment strategies to attract the top talent

The Indonesian labor market is characterized by the job hugging phenomenon, in which employees stay in their current positions for career stability, or job security, even if they may not be satisfied. ...

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Boycotting the World Cup looks like scoring an own goal

As history has shown with regard to past Olympic boycotts, a similar move against this year's World Cup will be an equally futile, symbolic maneuver that achieves nothing more than moral signaling and spectacle, in addition to harming sport’s potentials as a soft power. ...

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Relatives of Mir Quasem Ali, senior leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami, arrive on Sept. 3, 2016, to visit him at the Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur, on the outskirts of Dhaka.

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Is Trump facing a familiar ‘Washington Post’ playbook?

The Washington Post article quoting a US diplomat in Dhaka invites closer scrutiny as a civic duty, not as regards the content of the reported statements but rather the timing and purposeo f the allegedly leaked recordings.

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United States President Donald Trump (center) gestures towards President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as they take part in an announcement on Jan. 22, 2026 for his Board of Peace initiative, alongside the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland.

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Trump’s Board of Peace is problematic

In terms of organizational structures, functions and role, status, and rules and procedure, the BoP resembles more like a privately-owned family company than an intergovernmental organization.

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International duty: Indonesian Navy personnel grouped under the Maritime Task Force (MTF) KONGA XXVIII-O/UNIFIL TA 2023 attend a send-off ceremony on Dec. 6, 2023, at the Second Fleet Command headquarters in Surabaya, East Java. They will join the international peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

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This could be Indonesia’s moment to shape the international order

Today, Indonesia again occupies a position where its voice can shift the conversation, especially among states that feel trapped between great-power rivalry.

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President Prabowo Subianto gestures as he speaks on Jan. 22, 2026 during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

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Davos narrative and domestic realities: Indonesia’s split story

Do we even talk about the same Indonesia? Do we live in the same universe as Prabowo?

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President Prabowo Subianto (left) meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jan. 25, 2025, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India.

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India-Indonesia ‘gotong royong’: Persevering geopolitical storms together

As non-bloc, nonaligned nations with a firm belief in multipolarity, the India-Indonesia partnership is more than a bilateral benefit; it is a balancing force for global good.

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An attendant adjusts the flag for Timor-Leste after the country formally joined the ASEAN during the ASEAN Summit on Oct. 26, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur.

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Why ASEAN’s partnership model matters for global cooperation

Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN in October 2025 stands as a heartening example of the power of partnership in challenging times.

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Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, and Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, sign documents during a signing ceremony on Sept. 23, 2025, on the substantive conclusion of the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) in Nusa Dua, Bali.

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Why multilateralism matters more than ever for global economic stability

Without coherent multilateral standards, well-intentioned environmental rules risk becoming de facto trade barriers that favor those with the deepest pockets for administrative costs.

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Peace gambit: President Prabowo Subianto (right) shakes hands with United States President Donald Trump on Jan. 22, 2026, at the Board of Peace launch event during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

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Indonesia and the board of peace: Another unnecessary misstep

It is difficult to understand why Indonesia, which has persistently supported Palestinian independence, is willing to engage in a peace initiative led by an administration whose approach to Gaza and the broader Palestinian question raises serious normative and political concerns.

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In good hands: Volunteers weigh a child before she receives a polio inoculation during a child stunting prevention program at an integrated services post in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on Nov. 14, 2022.

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We are starving the people who prevent stunting

The government spends a lot on free nutritious meals to fight stunting in children, but is not willing to guarantee a living wage for the volunteers who prevent it.

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A tame Sumatran elephant under the care of the Sampoiniet Conservation Response Unit roams a forest on Sept. 3, 2017, in Le Jeurneh village, Aceh Jaya regency, Aceh.

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Deliberation and consensus needed in captive elephant debate

The recent ban on elephant rides highlights the critical need for consensual deliberation in managing a balance between the various dimensions of contemporary conservation, including animal, community and environmental welfare.

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Familiar faces: Heads of state and government of member, partner and external engagement countries pose for a family photo during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7, 2025.

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BRICS in 2025: A stabilizer in a fractured world

As it marks its second year of full membership in 2026, Indonesia is likely to continue making cooperative contributions within the BRICS foundational principles of equality, openness and mutual respect.

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Office buildings fill Jakarta's skyline.

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When invention is mistaken for innovation

Until Indonesia bridges the gap between policy rhetoric and cultural reality, we will remain a nation of great ideas but few breakthroughs.

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Solar solution: A Central Java government-owned solar-powered water pump operates on Jan. 2 in Sayung area in Demak regency. The facility was built to prevent flooding in Java’s north coast route.

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Powering the energy transition for development

We must move away from the narrow perception of the energy transition as simply a move away from fossil fuels to renewables and instead embrace its broader, transformative aim of powering sustainable economic and social development through the delivery of secure and affordable energy for all.

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Patients line up to wait for medicines from a pharmacy at Yarsi General Hospital in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on May 14, 2024.

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Direct local elections must stand, they improve public health services

Surveys by credible pollsters indicate that the push to change the election system does not reflect the aspirations of the people, but rather those of political elites who lack popular roots.

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The faded hand stencil that is dated at least 67,800 years old is pointed by a color palette chart held by the archaeologist during an expedition at the Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi in May 2019.

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Humanity’s oldest known cave art has been discovered in Sulawesi

People were creating cave art in Indonesia 67,800 years ago, before modern humans reached Australia.

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A Harimau medium tank (front), made by state-owned land weapons and ammunition maker PT Pindad, is parked next to Pandur II 8x8 armored combat vehicle against the backdrop of the National Monument (Monas) at Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta on Oct. 2, 2024, ahead of an event to mark the 79th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

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Asian defense firms may be the surprise winners of rising geopolitical tensions

The arms game among Western countries is turning increasingly toward cheaper alternatives from manufacturers in Asia, where indigenization is trending amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

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Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (right) delivers a presentation on Oct. 14, 2025, during a monthly press briefing on the state budget at the Finance Ministry in Central Jakarta.

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The Purbaya gambit: Can optimism alone revive Indonesia’s economy?

While Purbaya's strategy of optimistic communication is rooted in macroeconomic theory, it would do well to remember that self-fulfilling prophecies can go either way.

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A billboard on a truck passes through Westminster on Jan. 14, 2026, urging United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stand up to Elon Musk and ban X and Grok.

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How AI-generated sexual images cause real harm

Publicly bombarding women with these images exerts control over how they present themselves online.

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A man browses products on an online shopping app on June 16, 2022, in Jakarta.

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Protecting Indonesia’s youth from long-term vulnerability

Youth education that aims to build digital financial capability must be an integral part of national strategic policies on economic resilience.

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A craftswoman produces embroidered cloth on Monday, with a typical Acehnese motif at the Dekranasda micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) craft center in Aceh Besar regency, Aceh. MSMEs often struggle to scale production and maintain consistent quality, with many lacking certified processes and facing costly compliance requirements.

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Beyond credit: Rethinking KUR for real economic development

KUR must shift toward productivity-based targeting rather than merely maximizing borrower numbers.

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President Prabowo Subianto (center) operates a rice plowing machine at a field cultivated as part of a national scheme to achieve food self-sufficiency, during his visit to Telaga Sari village, Merauke, South Papua, on Nov. 3, 2024.

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Food estate projects: A new battlefield for military control

Under Prabowo, the military is no longer positioned chiefly as a protector of the people; it has been transformed into an active economic actor within the agrarian sector.

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Nickel smelter chimneys spew a column of emissions into the air above the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park on July 7, 2024, in Lelilef, North Maluku.

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Beyond the nickel boom: Indonesia needs a reality check on downstreaming

Having abundant nickel helps with one component—the battery cathode—but it does not automatically confer the ability to mass-produce quality electric vehicles.

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The first flight of the Air Force’s Rafale B, registration number T-0301, takes place in Mérignac, Bordeaux, France, on Sept. 19, 2025.

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As Rafale enters our airspace, Indonesia’s real test begins

Without discipline, diversification can produce an expensive “rolling museum” with low flying hours, low availability, and a posture that never reaches peak combat effectiveness.

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A researcher looks at the reaction of biological samples for a clinical study at Inotrem's laboratory in Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, eastern France, on Feb. 08, 2021.

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How academic journals profit from scientific mistakes

The academic publishing system often allows scientific errors to persist because it prioritizes profit and prestige over timely correction.

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Trucks carrying goods from Jordan move on Dec. 10, 2025, near the Allenby Bridge Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan after it was reopened, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The United Nations says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents and other goods into Gaza.

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Aid remains a tool for control, not relief, in Gaza

Without a dramatic improvement in basic living conditions, the International Stabilization Force will not be able to deliver stability for desperate people in Gaza.

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