Low clouds drift over the Swiss Alps behind the melting Fee Glacier on July 30, 2022, located above the Saas-Fee alpine resort area.

Meltdown at the top of the world

The UN declaring the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation cannot come at a more opportune or critical juncture for the world to not just sit up and take notice, but to stand up, corral all available resources – knowledge, technology, finances – and take action to avert the disastrous effects of accelerating glacial melt in the 3,500 km-long Hindu Kush Himalaya region.

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From ‘ojol’ strikes to systemic dead end: The deeper crisis of Indonesia’s gig economy

Rather than serving as a steppingstone, gig work locks workers into low-paying, precarious jobs with no clear path for advancement. ...

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ASEAN's lessons for the EU: Loose institutional design takes the cake

The EU, for lack of a better word, is truly in trouble since it is tied to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). ...

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Accelerating high growth: The power of operational effectiveness and differentiation

Achieving 8 percent economic growth is possible, if companies and government work together to focus on operational excellence and meaningful differentiation, streamlining procedures and offering what customers truly need, all while highlighting the unique diversity that is Indonesia.

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The missing steps Indonesia must retrace

One of the pressing economic issues that Indonesia continues to face is its overreliance on commodities and its challenge to transition into full-fledged industrialization.

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Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (left), President Prabowo Subianto (center) and former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo attend the launch of sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia at the State Palace in Jakarta on Feb. 24, 2025.

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Politically independent oversight and good governance key to Danantara’s success

Realizing Danantara's full potential depends on addressing critical governance challenges, ensuring transparency, political independence and robust oversight.

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Participants attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit on Feb. 10 in Paris.

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Will we squander the AI opportunity?

Though the human journey has not always been smooth, constant inquiry and prolific sharing of information are essential to what we are.

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Prabowo’s economic strategy: Grand promises, familiar pitfalls

Has Prabowo charted a clear, pragmatic course for Indonesia’s economic future, or are we witnessing a continuation of costly missteps and missed opportunities?

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As US threatens tariffs and builds walls, China opens up

China is consolidating its position as the world’s manufacturing and technological innovation hub by increasing trade with the Global South.

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Peace with dignity: Reflections on a documentary of the Aceh peace process

A recently screened documentary on the Aceh peace process emphasizes that dignity and humanity from both sides of the negotiating table are key to resolving conflict toward building lasting peace.

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Students belonging to the Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM SI) rally in Jakarta on Feb. 17, 2025, as part of the Idonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) movement, the students called for the revocation of budget cuts in the education sector, which they said would heavily impact tuition fees and scholarship funds.

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Voices unheard: The curse or blessing of digital democracy?

The official reaction, ranging from open dismissal to the deployment of “buzzers”, illustrates the limited impact of digital activism on actual policy or institutional reform.

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Increasing economic challenges: European Union flags flutter in the wind on June 5, 2020, outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.

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Financing Europe's defense challenge

How to finance the requisite increase in military investment at a time when Europe’s economies are weak?

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Ascent to prosperity: Securing Indonesia's herculean economic goals

The world economics scene projects a turbulent landscape in 2025.

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Resident Sartono and his wife Asmania check their seaweed garden on Feb 23, 2023, in the waters of Pari island in the Thousand Islands cluster, Jakarta.

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Expanding seaweed farms pose risk to vital marine life

Without appropriate management, seaweed farming programs could be dangerous for marine biodiversity and the benefits that humans get from the ocean.

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Students hold a rally on Feb.17 in Jakarta as part of the Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) movement to oppose budget-cutting policies by President Prabowo Subianto.

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It’s better for PM Anwar to delay release of ASEAN Vision

A significant number of Indonesian and Filipino youth are skeptical of democracy, but this should not be read as a condemnation of democratic principles and values.

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Indonesia and BRICS: A view from Russia

As Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar aptly noted, BRICS is not anti-Western, but simply a non-Western grouping.

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The future of journalism in the age of artificial intelligence

The Indonesian Press Council has recently introduced a regulation providing guidelines for the use of AI in journalistic work.

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Integrating health services to mitigate the shift in global aid

The US withdrawal from global health aid highlights the vulnerability of global health funding to geopolitical shifts, and serves as a wake-up call for Indonesia to build a self-reliant healthcare model that is capable of delivering integrated services, such as for TB, in anticipation of future uncertainties.

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Unsung hero: The heir of national hero Abdul Chalim (left) receives congratulations from then president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during a ceremony to mark National Heroes Day at the State Palace in Jakarta on Nov. 10, 2023.

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Prabowo and the question of national heroism: Who deserves the title?

A national hero should not be a controversial individual.

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There is no such thing as Global South

A country under attack is a country under attack, and an aggressor country is an aggressor country. This distinction does not change based on whether the country is in the North or the South.

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Greater global uncertainty: How ASEAN will continue thriving

ASEAN has been generally spared the global furor and shock over Trump's many policies since his second term began, and by continuing to focus on peace and prosperity through dialogue and partnerships, the regional bloc is likely to maintain its centrality and resilience during Malaysia's 2025 chairmanship.

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Boost road safety for people, planet and prosperity

Global leaders must take urgent, concerted action to end road carnage.

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Donald Trump’s surprise attack on Europe

European leaders knew that Vladimir Putin in the East and Donald Trump in the West would be a strategic nightmare scenario.

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The government is mishandling a public relations crisis

It would do well for the Prabowo administration to take a page out of Jokowi's PR playbook on best public communications practices, lest it quickly come to be viewed as a pariah, especially following 10 years of a president who remains highly popular today.

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US tariffs won’t easily derail euro zone recovery

The euro zone is showing early signs of an economic recovery that is unlikely to be derailed by the tariffs the Donald Trump administration has threatened thus far.

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How 'we-mode' built civilization, and why it’s at risk

To stem the tide of “disembodied disconnect” as a symptom of the cyber age, digital technologies should be designed to enhance embodied social experiences that engage our uniquely human capacity to collaborate across diverse groups and engender deep social cohesion.

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Economic growth without equity: Indonesia’s widening wealth gap

The government must prioritize policies that curb widening inequality while expanding access to prosperity across all social strata.

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Southeast Asia, world need UN special rapporteur on democracy

Democratic progress in Southeast Asia remains stifled by authoritarian resilience, weak institutions, and the misuse of legal frameworks to silence opposition.

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Fragmented AI governance: How should Indonesia navigate its policy?

According to the Global AI Index 2023, Indonesia ranks 46th out of 62 countries, highlighting a pressing need to enhance its digital infrastructure to effectively tackle challenges in AI development.

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Qwen and Deepseek logos are seen in this illustration taken on Jan. 29, 2025.

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The Deepseek saga: Why AI education matters

Currently, informatics education only begins at the middle school level, meaning that if AI literacy is introduced in elementary schools, at least a portion of Indonesia’s 1.6 million elementary teachers will need training.

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