Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings southwards on Sept. 16 on a road in the Nuseirat refugee camp area in the central Gaza Strip following renewed Israeli evacuation orders for Gaza City.

Doctors can’t stop a genocide, world leaders can

Every day in Gaza, children arrive at our clinics with blast injuries, infected wounds or signs of starvation. As doctors, we can try to treat their pain – but we cannot stop the bombs or lift the siege.

1 day ago

Academia

Purbayanomics and the Rp 200 trillion question

Stimulus drawn from reserves can jolt the economy today, but it also narrows Indonesia’s room for maneuver tomorrow. ...

1 day ago

Academia premium

Back to barracks and back to basics: The only path to a professional TNI

TNI’s hard power consists of older platforms and has limitations in modern network-centric warfare, making it vulnerability to attacks from enemies with advanced cyber capabilities and more sophisticated air defense systems. ...

1 day ago

The Latest

US President Donald Trump looks on during an event on Sept. 2 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC to announce that the Space Force Command will move from the US state of Colorado to Alabama.

Academia premium

Violence as policy in Trump's America

Trump has been signaling for a decade or so that political violence committed by his supporters is acceptable and might even be rewarded.

1 day ago

Muslim worshippers gather for prayers at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 2, ahead of the annual haj.

Academia

Haj and umrah ministry: Caring for the faithful

The formation of a haj and umrah ministry reflects a domestic commitment to improving religious services and a broader diplomatic effort to elevate Indonesia’s role in global religious affairs.

1 day ago

Fireworks accompany the launch of the Indonesian Navy's newest warship, the KRI Bung Hatta corvette on Feb. 27 at PT Karimun Anugrah Sejati shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands. Navy chief of staff Adm. Muhammad Ali launched the second ship from the domestically built Bung Karno-class corvette.

Academia premium

Under Prabowo, Indonesia’s Navy sets sail for bigger ambitions

Frigates equipped with long-range firepower and advanced sensors, alongside heavyweight corvettes are expected to spearhead Indonesia's blue-water fleet capable of sustained Indo-Pacific operations.

1 day ago

President Prabowo Subianto (center) speaks at a cabinet meeting on Aug. 6 in the State Palace, Central Jakarta.

Academia premium

Beyond compliance: Toward a culture of integrity

A gap is widening between the people's expectations of fairness and transparency, and the state's ability to deliver them consistently.

2 days ago

Heads of state from member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) pose for a family photo on Sept. 11, 2025, at the PIF Leaders Meeting in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara.

Academia

PIF leaders reach agreement on big issues, but unity remains elusive

The recently held PIF Leaders Meeting showed why true integration remains challenging while island nations are at different stages of independence.

2 days ago

A man is covered in Nepal's national flag as a fire rages in the president's office in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025.

Academia

Nepal in crisis: From protest to political reckoning

Young people must be given a chance to help rebuild democratic systems, their demands must be addressed.

2 days ago

Suspects from Ukraine and Russia are presented to the media following a police raid on a suspected drug lab in Tibubeneng village, Badung regency in Bali on May 13, 2024.

Academia premium

Weighing the urgency of Indonesia’s extradition pact with Russia

Indonesia might have become a safe haven for Russians in Southeast Asia who wish to avoid war in Ukraine

2 days ago

Pratiwi Ariyanti, a 38-year-old ojol (online motorcycle transportation driver), rides her motorcycle in Jakarta on Sept. 3, 2025 after picking up food ordered and donated by a customer from overseas in solidarity with the Indonesian protests.

Academia premium

Affan’s tragedy reveals that millions of young Indonesians remain expendable

Development plans like the Long-term National Development Plan (RJPN) 2025-2045 often frame young people as economic and state instruments, valued for future productivity and conformity to state-approved personas.

2 days ago

Displaced Palestinians evacuating southbound from Gaza City travel on foot and by vehicle along the coastal road on Sept. 13 in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip. (Photo by / AFP)

Academia premium

Gaza’s desperation and the agony of religious diplomacy

Religious diplomacy emphasizes the role of faith, morality and shared values of religious traditions in seeking peace. It also bridges and encourages mutual understanding and tolerance.

3 days ago

A gas station employee fills a vehicle on Mar. 9, 2023, at a Shell gas station in Jakarta.

Academia premium

Breaking the bottleneck: Reforming the fuel distribution system

The issue is more than a logistical hiccup, it reflects deeper regulatory and market governance challenges.

3 days ago

A female student holds a poster listing demands on Sept. 9 during a protest in front of the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Jakarta.

Academia premium

Careful, Mr. President: The world is watching

Our system calls itself democratic yet remains deeply uneasy, even hostile, toward opposition.

3 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gesture during a joint press briefing at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Jan. 25, 2025.

Academia

India and ASEAN must savor the mango flavors

Instead of being preoccupied with how other powers such as China or the United States might perceive our cooperation, India and ASEAN should focus on working together for their own sake.

3 days ago

People make financial transactions at a branch office of state-owned pawnshop Pegadaian in Semarang, Central Java, in this file photo from 2015.

Academia premium

The untold business of Indonesia's private pawnshops

While the OJK has issued a regulation to make licensing easier for private pawnshops, the government has yet to address the issues of governance, oversight and whether or not to integrate this lucrative but marginalized business so it can truly contribute to growth.

3 days ago

Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa sings the national anthem during the handover ceremony from his predecessor Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Sept. 9 at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta.

Academia

The unfiltered leader: When confidence clashes with convention

Because Purbaya arrived without in-group credentials, his blunt, merit-first style was framed as a status threat.

3 days ago

Thumbs up: Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa reacts to journalists after his first hearing with House of Representatives Commission XI, overseeing finance, in Jakarta on Sept. 11, 2025.

Academia premium

SAL: A double-edged fiscal sword

Fragmenting cash balances across multiple banks increases inefficiency, as funds may exist but remain inaccessible when urgently needed, the IMF has warned.

4 days ago

Bags of rice are seen piled up at 'Koike rice shop' in Tokyo on Feb. 14, 2025. The Japanese government said it will release its stockpile of rice, the nation's cherished staple food, reserved for emergency use in response to soaring prices.

Academia premium

Food cartels threaten Prabowo's goal of food self-sufficiency

For years, a network of traders, importers, corrupt officials and political brokers have manipulated the supply and price of staple foods like rice, sugar, garlic, beef and cooking oil.

4 days ago

Former Bangka Belitung Islands energy and mineral resources agency heads Amir Syahbana (left) and Suranto Wibowo (right) sit in the defendants' chair at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 31, 2024 during an indictment hearing pertaining to corruption in state-owned tin company PT Timah. Prosecutors charged the defendants, including a fellow former agency head Rusbani, of self-enrichment that caused Rp 300 trillion in state losses.

Academia premium

How AI can revolutionize asset seizure, the fight against graft

The use of AI in asset forfeiture is already a reality in countries where advanced analytics are used to identify high-risk transactions and complex criminal networks.

4 days ago

China's President Xi Jinping (center) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025, in this photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik.

Academia

Can China rewrite the rules of global governance?

The SCO summit at Tianjin, China, followed by a military parade in Beijing, signal China's effort to contest the erratic policies of the Trump administration and change the global and regional orders.

4 days ago

Women attend a mass prayer on Aug. 14, 2025, at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in provincial capital Banda Aceh to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Aceh peace agreement.

Academia

Aceh’s waqf experiment: When an age-old tradition powers a new economy

Aceh's unique cultural identity and administrative status makes it fertile ground for trialing waqf-based development initiatives that could provide a contemporary model for Islamic economies worldwide.

4 days ago

A health worker measures the height of a women participating in the free birthday health screening program at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Serang, Banten, on May 15, 2025.

Academia premium

Ovarian cancer, a silent and stealthy threat to women

Unlike breast and cervical cancer, no routine and simple screening tests can help patients detect ovarian cancer.

4 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto delivers his State of the Nation address on Aug. 15 during the annual People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta.

Academia premium

Did Prabowo’s fiscal vision leave people behind?

For a leader democratically elected by the people and with historic legislative support, it is ironic that President Prabowo Subianto finds himself on the line in less than a year of his tenure.

5 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left front row) stands next to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President China Xi Jinping during a military parade on Sept. 3 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Academia premium

Honoring history, cherishing peace and creating a brighter future for humanity

History serves both as the best textbook and dose of sobriety.

5 days ago

Demonstrators hold illustrations of Affan Kurniawan during a protest in front of the Surabaya Police headquarters in East Java on Aug. 30, 2025, two days after the ‘ojol’ (motorcycle transportation) driver was killed when he was run over by a tactical vehicle of the Jakarta Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

Academia premium

UNGA: Human rights and Prabowo's political test

Following the mass demontrations earlier this month and its devastating toll, the government needs to take proactive steps toward accountability, or the President's appearance at the UN General Assembly next week could be met with a negative response over Indonesia's pattern of state impunity.

5 days ago

Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa waves to journalists following his inauguration on Sept. 8 at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

Academia premium

Sri Mulyani vs Purbaya: Balancing speed with discipline

To translate fiscal policy into soccer terms, former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati played defense while her predecessor Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa prefers offensive play.

5 days ago

A farmer harvests arabica coffee beans at his farm at the foot of Mount Puntang, Bandung regency, West Java.

Academia

How Europe’s deforestation law could change global coffee trade

On the ground, the rule change could transform how coffee is grown, traded and sold.

5 days ago

(Source: Henry Cruz and Lili Vallejo, 2023, ‘The Prioritization of External Security as a Means of Guaranteeing Multidimensional Security and Economic Growth’)

Academia

The world is back to the 1930s war economy

The United Nations has issued a five-point agenda in an attempt to redefine security but the bottom line is that war is profitable and it is the same old battle of short-term vs. long-term gains, pitted against the very survival of our species.

5 days ago