Millennials share ideas at Greenhouse Coworking Space in Multivision Tower, South Jakarta. The coworking space has been designed in such a way that it stimulates a creative work environment.

The power of mattering: Creating a culture of significance

Given that mental well-being is emerging as an unspoken crisis—especially among young professionals—creating a culture of mattering is no longer a sentimental gesture; it is a strategic imperative.

2 weeks ago

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Beyond the Bali bombing: A journey from terror to dialogue

Stigma continues to follow former JI members, many of whom struggle to regain acceptance in their communities. ...

2 weeks ago

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Police reform hinges on the President’s will to change

Still, if President Prabowo acts decisively, ensuring the presidential committee serves as the principal reform actor, the collaboration could become a true engine of change ...

2 weeks ago

The Latest

Sanae Takaichi, the newly-elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), attends a press conference on Oct. 4 after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo. Conservative Sanae Takaichi hailed a “new era“ after winning the leadership of Japan's ruling party, putting her on course to become the country's first woman prime minister.

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Japan’s first female PM and what it means for Indonesia

Sanae Takaichi marks a new era in Japanese politics with a firmer approach to security and foreign policy.

2 weeks ago

An activist holds a poster showing Muhammad Farhan Hamid, a protester who went missing during the string of antigovernment protests in Jakarta in late August, during a vigil on Sept. 30 in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, to commemorate the August protests which led to the death of at least 10 people and hundreds detained by the police.

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Democracy on trial: Why we appeal to the United Nations

The state has resorted to intimidation, arbitrary arrests and systemic silencing of dissent.

2 weeks ago

A couple poses on Feb. 28, 2022, during a pre-wedding photo shoot at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore.

Academia

Singapore’s nationalism favors the ‘normal’ family

Singaporean nationalism assumes heterosexuality as the default familial norm, which can lead to excluding people who do not fit that baseline, beyond sexual orientation.

2 weeks ago

Women use their smartphones on Jan. 3, 2018, at a cafe in Jakarta.

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Introducing the new cybercrime treaty

Will the cybercrime convention be an epiphany for those who seek effective legal measures?

2 weeks ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron inspect an honor guard on May 28, 2025, during a ceremony to welcome the European leader’s visit at Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta.

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Is the France-Indonesia defense partnership faltering?

Indonesia's defense ties with France is built on shared interests and a decade-long partnership, and while cooperation might appear to have lagged in recent years, the issue at hand is one of mutuality as Prabowo aims to achieve 100 percent of the OEF goals by 2029.

2 weeks ago

The Indonesian Navy's KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata 331 (foreground) passes the United Kingdom Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales during a passing exercise on July 31 along the Indonesian Sea Lane of Communications (ALKI) III in the Banda Sea, southwest of Buru Island.

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Aircraft carrier to boost Indonesia’s blue water Navy doctrine

The Indonesian Navy has limited experience in long-range task force or flotilla operations beyond the EEZ, the hallmark of a blue water navy.

2 weeks ago

A view of the United States Capitol's rotunda as the US government continues its shutdown on Oct. 6, 2025, in Washington, DC.

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How the Democrats can “win” the US government shutdown

Given that Democrats are confronting dilemmas that all opposition parties face when battling aspiring or practicing autocrats, a fruitful exercise is to consider the lessons of two decades of what political scientists are calling a global “democratic recession.”

2 weeks ago

Sanae Takaichi, the newly-elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), attends a press conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Oct. 4, 2025.

Academia

Is Sanae Takaichi Japan’s Margaret Thatcher – or its next Liz Truss?

Takaichi’s victory signals a party operating in crisis mode.

2 weeks ago

People wait for a train on the platform at Sudirman Station in Jakarta on Feb. 18, 2025.

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When job hugging becomes a way of survival

The measure of development success should not stop at lower unemployment, it also must include the improvement of job quality.

2 weeks ago

Farmers plant rice in a paddy field on June 28 at Lambaro in Aceh.

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Rice self-sufficiency and the future of Indonesia’s food sovereignty

Indonesia may have fertile land and modern technology, but lacks the human capital to sustain food sovereignty as the young generation sees farming as low-status and low-return.

2 weeks ago

A Bajo woman transports clean water in containers on a small boat on Oct. 3 in Bakti village, Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.

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Poverty paradox: Villages hold the key to future prosperity

While cities enjoy an accelerated digital economic transformation, villages lag behind in a slower growth cycle.

2 weeks ago

A woman watches over her son on Oct. 2, at Lubuk Basung Regional General Hospital in Agam, West Sumatra, where he is receiving treatment for a foodborne illness allegedly contracted after consuming food provided through the free nutritious meal program.

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MBG: When children are reduced to numbers, dehumanization follows

When thousands of sick children are dismissed as a “small number”, we are not just misrepresenting data, we are negating the very value of life itself.

2 weeks ago

In this picture taken on October 19, 2023, former Surakarta mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of then-president Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo, attends a public hearing with members of the regional council in Surakarta, Central Java.

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Dynasties still dominate Southeast Asian politics

Dynasties are central to Southeast Asian politics as parties are weak, patronage is entrenched and family names are the most durable political brands.

2 weeks ago

Rohingya men collect recyclable waste on Aug. 26, 2025, at the Balukhali refugee camp in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Academia

Why Bangladesh must reclaim leverage on the Rohingya

Dhaka must make a decisive shift toward a pragmatic pursuit of its own interests, primarily national security and stability, and aim to leverage its role in the Rohingya issue to bring an end to the crisis, not manage it indefinitely in relative isolation.

2 weeks ago

Children take a photo aboard a Hercules military aircraft on Oct. 5, 2025, during an open day at the Indonesian Air Force base at Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, West Java.

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TNI modernization moves beyond procurement

The centralization of the MRO system under the Defense Ministry and the restructured Defense Logistics Agency has created strong momentum toward enhancing readiness, balancing modernization with maintenance for military capabilities that correspond to today’s volatile geopolitical environment.

2 weeks ago

(From left to right) President Prabowo Subianto, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United States President Donald Trump attend a multilateral meeting on Sept. 23 to discuss the situation in Gaza on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

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Indonesia can support two-state solution without recognizing Israel

Indonesia and Israel already maintain trade relations despite the absence of diplomatic ties, showing that Indonesia can treat Israel’s existence as a fait accompli.

2 weeks ago

An activist holds a poster with an image of Muhammad Farhan Hamid, a protester who went missing in late August during the string of anti-government protests in Jakarta, during a vigil on Sept. 30, 2025, in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta.

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The making or breaking of democracy

An international group focusing on safeguarding our freedoms and rights, supported by dozens of Nobel laureates, shines a light of hope against the shadow of democratic backsliding that is falling over human societies across the globe.

2 weeks ago

Police motorcades escort vehicles carrying Indonesian flags and the replicas of the Proclamation Text at the National Monument (Monas) on Aug. 10, 2024, in Jakarta. (Courtesy of State Secretariat Ministry)

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Indonesia: Guardian of world peace

While the Indonesian Military (TNI) is naturally at the forefront of Indonesia’s peacekeeping identity, it is crucial to recognize that the National Police also play a significant role.

2 weeks ago

Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers hold harvested rice paddy during a grand harvest event with TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra on July 10, 2025.

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Indonesia's defense overstretch dilemma

Transforming Indonesia's Defense Ministry into a "War Ministry" could refocus the TNI on combat readiness by delegating non-military tasks to civilians.

2 weeks ago

A local official carries Muhammad Nizam, 13, a student diagnosed with food poisoning after eating a meal provided through the government-sponsored free nutritious meal program, at a makeshift clinic set up on Sept. 25, 2025, at a district building in Bandung, West Java.

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Parasites at the nation’s table

The free nutritious meal program is another link in the chain of systemic parasitism, through which well-connected figures and business entities fatten themselves at human and moral costs, this time affecting our youngest and most vulnerable.

2 weeks ago

A clerk counts United States banknotes on May 22, 2024, at a money changer in Jakarta.

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US dollar still dominates foreign exchange markets despite Trump’s economic chaos

History tells us that dominant currencies change slowly.

2 weeks ago

Representations of bitcoin are seen in this illustration picture taken in Paris, France, on March 9, 2024.

Academia

The complex financial landscape transformation

We are undergoing complex, multidimensional simultaneous, interactive systems change

2 weeks ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announce the 'political agreement' of the Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) on July 14, in Brussels.

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The only way is up: Why EU-ASEAN trade is headed for success

Trump’s sweeping tariffs have arguably spurred both regions into action, with governments quickly realizing the need to secure reliable and long-lasting trade partnerships amid rising protectionism and shifting alliances.

2 weeks ago

A volunteer plants mangrove seedlings on June 26 at a beach that was devastated by the boxing day 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami at Kajhu on the outskirts of Banda Aceh.

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Asia demands a new playbook for philanthropy, collaboration and leadership

The convergence of climate change, food insecurity, technological disruption and conflict is creating a series of overlapping shocks that exacerbate one another, striking hardest at Asia’s most vulnerable communities.

2 weeks ago

Visitors peruse job vacancy information at JobFest 2025 on Aug. 19 at the Jakarta International Velodrome, Jakarta. The Jakarta administration, through the job fair, helped to offer around 2,000 vacancies from 37 companies.

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Graduate unemployment, what has gone wrong?

Indonesia needs a model that values skilled workers, fair compensation and sustainable growth, which allows businesses to strengthen the economy while fostering loyalty and creativity among young professionals.

2 weeks ago