Stack 'em up: Workers move containers on Sep. 10, 2024, at the Port of Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT), Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

Navigating protectionism: Indonesia and fragmented global trade

The world faces a new reality where trade becomes a matter of national security and global rules are eroded as power dominates.

3 weeks ago

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'Oligarchization' blocks meaningful public participation in lawmaking

Collective action that involves all stakeholders of civil society is necessary to prevent the country's encroaching descent into an oligarchy. ...

3 weeks ago

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Restoring free meals program as a child nutrition initiative

Considering that the free meals program has minimal socioeconomic impacts in the short term, it would be better to revert the program to its original design as a policy on improving child nutrition, which would have positive effects in terms of cost, food quality and fiscal management. ...

3 weeks ago

The Latest

United States President Donald Trump unveils his new tariff policy on April 2, 2025, in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, DC.

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Trump's tariffs will accelerate US economic decline

Redistributive taxation, while it is not easy to craft or implement, can encourage innovation and the equitable distribution of growth benefits, whereas Trump's tariffs will only undermine the US' competitive edge and do harm.

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An LLM for ASEAN, by ASEAN

A truly collaborative LLM reflecting the region’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape has yet to emerge.

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When exchange rates decide who can get medical treatment

Because when exchange rates dictate the cost of medicines, they also quietly influence who can get medical treatment and who cannot.

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Tariffs, tensions and turning points: A strategy for ASEAN sovereignty

The paradox of economic interdependence and strategic anxiety underscores ASEAN’s urgent need for unity and legal clarity.

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Business as usual: Trucks haul freight on Feb. 26, 2025 at the container terminal of Batu Ampar Port on Batam Island, Riau Islands province.

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Think carefully before maneuvering through US tariffs

Indonesia must tread carefully with a political economy approach to trade diplomacy following US tariffs, maintaining mutually beneficial partnerships and avoiding impacted countries from turning into adversarial competitors.

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Members of labor organizations protest against the government’s decision to increase subsidized fuel prices, outside the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Sept. 6, 2022.

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The weaponization of tariffs and the new era of coercive trade

Authoritarian-leaning governments are likely to instrumentalize these trade pressures to justify greater repression.

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A man uses his phone on March 6, 2025, while waiting for customers at a clothing shop in Tanah Abang Market in Jakarta.

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A fragile moment, a firm future: Why Indonesia's economy can endure

History often reminds us that it is in these periods of turbulence that a country’s economic maturity is truly measured.

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Offering assistance: An official explains to a taxpayer the use of the citizenship identity number as their taxpayer identification number on March 3, 2024, at Palangka Raya tax office in the Central Kalimantan capital city.

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MSME tax limbo: Government inaction fuels uncertainty

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United States President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs on April 2, 2025, during an event in the Rose Garden titled “Make America Wealthy Again” at the White House in Washington, DC.

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New modeling reveals full impact of Trump’s’ tariffs, with the US hit hardest

Two different models indicate that in the long run, Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs stand to do more harm to the US than any of the countries it aims to target; nonetheless, they don't bode well for either international trade or the global economy.

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Building a sustainable future: Asia’s path in a transforming world

Climate risk, energy security and food resilience are regional challenges that require cooperation. True sustainability can only be achieved through joint action.

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Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's frigate JS Kumano docks at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on May 9, 2023. The Mogami-class frigate was on a deployment to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to strengthen cooperation and exercise with navies in those countries.

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Japan and ASEAN: Moving beyond symbolism to real strategic depth

Despite the constraints of Article 9 of its pacifist Constitution, Tokyo has found creative ways to support ASEAN’s defense capabilities without violating its non-military principles.

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Activists hold umbrellas and posters that read “No country without its people. Listen to our voice!“ during the 856th Kamisan rally in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on March 20, 2025.

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How Aristotle can save us

Aristotle offers a framework that is strikingly relevant for this age of moral confusion and civic fragmentation.

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United States President Donald Trump calls on a reporter to ask a question during a cabinet meeting at the White House on March 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.

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Oil markets take risky bet on Trump's threats on Russia, Iran

Oil diplomacy could become a hallmark of Trump's second term in office, but energy markets have mostly shrugged off his recent whirlwind of threats against Iran and Russia.

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Two models for agentic AI

Despite all the commentary and hype around agentic AI, many big questions remain unaddressed, the biggest being which type of AI agent the tech industry is seeking to develop?

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Regional impact: A man votes during Australia's general election on May 21, 2022, at a polling station at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

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What Australia’s election holds for the Pacific

Australia’s policies toward the Pacific will continue to be primarily driven by China’s resurgence, no matter who is elected.

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People from Bahmo city in Myanmar's northern Kachin state cross a river as they arrive at Sinkin village on Dec. 6, 2024, fleeing the fighting between Myanmar's military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

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The Myanmar conflict: How US-Russia dynamics could favor China

Beijing could appear as a more appealing option to ethnic resistance groups in Myanmar’s civil war, especially given the ongoing evolution in Washington as the Trump White House shifts to Russia's side in Ukraine and moves to dissolve USAID.

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President Prabowo Subianto adjusts his cap March 24, 2025, prior to inaugurating 31 ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary at the State Palace in Jakarta.

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Just 5 months in office, Prabowo’s problems are piling up

The former defense minister and Army general has met with a series of socioeconomic stumbles less than midway through his presidency after sailing through the 2024 elections, seemingly creating new problems while trying to resolve the country's key issues.

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Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus salutes attendees upon arrival at the Bangabhaban to take his oath as the head of the interim Bangladeshi government, in Dhaka on Aug. 8, 2024.

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Taking stock of Bangladesh post-Hasina

Drastic reform may not happen, but Bangladesh’s future would be better than the past.

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A firefighter sprays water on burning peatland in Deuah village, West Aceh regency, Aceh on Oct. 26, 2024.

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Central banks must stem the nature crisis

A stable financial system is highly dependent on nature, and nature is increasingly in crisis.

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A view of a container terminal at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Trade Minister Budi Santoso has said Indonesia is ready to face the potential impact of a trade war between the United States and China.

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Economic fears can create a self-fulfilling prophecy – don’t let them

Today’s hailstorms of hostility are already hitting economies around the world, with businesses and individuals taking shelter from the unpredictable conditions.

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President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (second right) take turns congratulating the new ambassadors for Indonesian diplomatic missions following an appointment ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta on March 24, 2025.

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What to look for in Prabowo’s first envoy appointments

Through the appointment of ambassadors, we can expect to get a signal of how a president intends to drive foreign policy.

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Several vehicles pass through the one-way traffic system at the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate in Karawang, West Java, on March 27, 2025. Traffic on the Cikopo-Palimanan toll road remained smooth on the fourth day ahead of Idul Fitri, thanks to the implementation of the one-way traffic scheme, which spans from KM 70 of the Cikampek Toll Road to KM 188 of the Cipali Toll Road.

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Why Idul Fitri is a moment of joy for Catholics, too

Idul Fitri deeply connects with interreligious love, forging reconciliation, charity, respect for diversity and shared human values.

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Vehicles heading to Jakarta during ‘mudik’ (exodus) crawl on April 15, 2024, along a section of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road in Karawang, West Java.

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Lebaran and the human right to pursue happiness

The spirit of unity and forgiveness at the heart of Lebaran offers an opportunity for the Indonesian government and citizens to mend their ties toward better mutual understanding in our shared pursuit of happiness.

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Low-key 'mudik' another vote of no confidence in Prabowo

Prabowo has simply ignored people who have doubted his government's economic direction.

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A tractor rolls across a muddy swath of denuded land on March 5, 2021, cleared for a food estate project in Gunung Mas regency, Central Kalimantan.

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Indonesia’s forests under the shadow of right-wing populism

Food production and forest conservation are not inherently at odds with each other, and the government must approach this critical juncture amid the global shift on climate change with innovative, alternative and sustainable agricultural solutions to fulfill the President's food security agenda.

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A man walks past a banner with an artificial intelligence sign at the Frankfurt book fair on Oct. 16, 2024, on the first day of the world's biggest book fair in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany.

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Making AI work for all Indonesians

The question is no longer whether we need AI, but whether we are prepared, courageous and focused enough to use it as a tool to solve our most pressing national challenges.

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