Point of reference: A man speaks on his phone while entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters on April 12, 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Let’s work together for rule-based trade

The world's critical situation will serve to clarify minds and priorities when we enter the final phase of EU-Indonesia FTA negotiations. We should never let a good crisis go to waste.

1 month ago

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AI paradox: The hidden cost of smarter machines

Indonesia’s efforts to make artificial intelligence (AI) more efficient can end up crippling its power grid. ...

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Australia loves Indonesia, but it’s not mutual

Australia struggles to get Indonesia’s attention, and its leverage in Jakarta is limited. Anthony Albanese could begin to change this with one bold move. ...

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The Latest

Tellers count United States dollar banknotes on May 11, 2023, at the Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) branch on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

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What Islamic finance brings to climate resilience

Islamic finance is rooted in asset backing and risk sharing, so it is inherently aligned with sustainability principles and well-positioned to finance adaptation efforts, especially in regions most vulnerable to climate change.

1 month ago

Scan and pay: A customer scans a QRIS code to pay for a bowl of bakso (meatball soup) in Tangerang, Banten, on Oct. 17, 2024.

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The Age of ASEAN: Building trust in Southeast Asia’s digital future

As ASEAN is positioning to be the heart of digital economy, fostering trust is key in reaping the benefits of growing digitalization and further empowering the vulnerable segments of the population.

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Myanmar's Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe (from left), Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, China's Premier Li Qiang, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao pose for a group photo at the 27th ASEAN-China Summit during the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane on Oct. 10, 2024.

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ASEAN and China should join hands in facing trade storms

As a regional mechanism only established in recent years, the RCEP is arguably underperforming compared with its potential.

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An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier stands guard near the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 kilometers from Amritsar in India on May 9.

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Amid the tension: A demand for free Balochistan

The ongoing plight of the Baloch people has prompted organizations to formally appeal to the United Nations, urging immediate intervention in the humanitarian crisis in Baluchistan.

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A university student holds a poster saying “Ndasmu“, a highly derogatory Javanese word which translates into “your head“, on Feb. 20, 2025, during an Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) protest against President Prabowo Subianto's administration calling for various demands, including reviews of government budget cuts and the free nutritious meal program, in Jakarta.

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What Indonesian middle class politics should look like

In protests, the middle class can provide an opening for a change, but once opportunity arises, it is often not ready to claim power.

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Maintenance workers clean a Garuda Indonesia aircraft on May 8, 2024, at a hangar at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

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Diverging fortunes: Garuda Indonesia vs. Singapore Airlines

While the global aviation industry is indeed recovering from the pandemic, the contrast between two national carriers in Southeast Asia is striking.

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Students hold posters that read “return soldiers to the barracks“ (right) and “civilian supremacy“ (second right) during a protest against a revision to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law in Surabaya, East Java on March 24.

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Civil society can help Indonesian democracy survive

Traditional civil society, with the support of students, can do a lot to create and maintain pressure on the government.

1 month ago

People assess damaged buildings following Myanmar military airstrikes in Kyauktaw town in Myanmar's western Rakhine State on May 15, 2025.

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Will US-China tug of war ensue over Rakhine State?

Growing US interest in Myanmar’s Rakhine State could prompt China to ramp up its backing for the military junta in Naypidaw.

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European Union flags flutter on Sept. 12, 2024, following the monetary policy meeting of the European Central Bank’s Governing Council in Frankfurt, Germany.

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Europe's existential choice: Defend or depend

The stance of the current US administration has awoken Europe and Europeans to an opportunity to review and revitalize our defense capabilities and do our fair share in securing our neighbors and allies, and in so doing, help improve transatlantic relations.

1 month ago

Merchants and buyers pack the Tanah Abang Skybridge that connects the railway station to the famous Tanah Abang textile market in Central Jakarta in this undated photo.

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Making raw material supply more competitive for light manufacturing

Reliance on imports for raw materials makes businesses highly vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations, rising international shipping costs and global supply chain disruptions.

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Media spotlight: President director of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan (center), talks to the media during a press conference in Jakarta on Jan. 2, 2025.

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The grip of military capitalism on state-owned enterprises in Indonesia

Albeit vaguely, the revised TNI Law allows active military personnel to hold civilian and SOE posts, effectively legitimizing military economic involvement de facto.

1 month ago

Participants march during a protest organized by the Indonesian Women's Alliance (API) on the 50th International Women's Day demanding labor rights, gender equality and protections, in Jakarta on March 8, 2025.

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Online scams, human trafficking reflect job hunger, starvation

In Indonesia's manufacturing and service industries, workers compete for jobs but due to market forces, 30 percent of them earn below the minimum regional wage.

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Crowds of people visit a shopping mall on April 9, 2023 in Serang, the capital of Banten province.

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Leading in the fog: What business, policy and academia must rethink

Indonesia has invested considerably in e-government and regulatory reform, but many such efforts remain trapped in single-loop logic—streamlining procedures without revisiting their purpose.

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Police officers stand in formation during roll call on May 9, 2025, in preparation for a two-week operation until May 23 to curb thuggery and street brawls across Jakarta.

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Tax incentives fall flat when thuggery rules on the ground

The government must first tackle the mafia-style organizations polluting the streets in industrial zones, or else it is just pouring trillions in tax incentives into the gutter.

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People sit atop the hull of a snorkeling boat that capsized in large waves near Nusa Penida, Bali, as they wait to be rescued on March 21, 2025, in this handout photo provided on March 22 by the Klungkung Police.

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Tourist safety should be the highest priority, even in peacetime

Governments across the world are failing to provide security and safety to tourists, despite the recovery of tourism earnings since COVID-19, in some cases even surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

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A worker oversees a production line on April 30, 2025, at a steel factory in Lahore, Pakistan.

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Carbon pricing is advancing despite Trump

Carbon pricing and other mechanisms like the CBAM have the potential to unleash a decarbonization wave across global industries, regardless of the current US stance.

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Attendants await visitors on July 16, 2024, next to a thermal nuclear reactor model during the 26th China Beijing International High-Tech Exhibition at the National Convention Center in Beijing.

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Borrowed standards, buried sovereignty: Indonesia’s nuclear dilemma

When it comes to nuclear development, Indonesia must dig deep to ask the tough questions to expose the underlying geopolitical currents and whether what we're being offered will truly lead to energy sovereignty, or if we're being cast as the proverbial canary in the coal mine.

1 month ago

Health workers administer a chest X-ray to a toddler on Feb. 22, 2025 at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, under a free TB screening program provided by the city’s health agency.

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Innovation and industrial transformation for health improvement in Indonesia

Unprecedented scientific and technological advances have resulted in important industrial transformations, including within the healthcare industry.

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Students return empty trays after finishing their lunch on Feb. 18, 2025, provided via the government’s free nutritious meal program, at SDN Banjarsari 5 state elementary school in Serang, Banten.

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Indonesia’s economic growth: Between optimism and reality

While there are reasons for some optimism, the country needs to do more in terms of reforms and inclusivity to not just drive the domestic economy, but also to become the region’s leader in sustainable development.

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Congolese refugees gather for a possible chance to receive aid during a food distribution operation on May 7 at the Musenyi refugee site in Giharo. Since January 2025, more than 71,000 people fleeing ongoing violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo have crossed into Burundi, its largest refugee influx in decades, the United Nations says.

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Mutually assured development destruction

If wealthier countries refuse to provide for the global common good, the multilateral system as we know it will not survive.

1 month ago

Members of Yogyakarta’s Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) theater group, Sanggar Widya Pramana, sing and play gamelan instruments on Feb. 9 during a performance of the Hindu heroic tale, Ramayana at The Local Market, organized by non-profit Kuka Indonesia which supports education for underprivileged communities, in Jakarta.

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Beyond the algorithm: Rescuing Indonesia’s soundscapes from digital extinction

When a gamelan gong is streamed on Spotify, its resonance reaches the world, but its soul stays trapped in a digital plantation, harvested for clicks while its guardians starve.

1 month ago

Female soldiers stand at attention on Aug. 31, 2018, as they prepare to deploy as part of the Indonesian contingent on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lebanon.

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Rethinking Indonesia’s commitment to UN Women's agenda

The current administration has signaled very little as regards the greater representation of women as part of Indonesia's foreign policy agenda, more specifically the processes of diplomacy, peacebuilding and decision-making in the security sector.

1 month ago