Sunlight illuminates the seal of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) at its headquarters in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, in this undated photograph.

Revamping strategic intelligence in the face of global competition

As Indonesia moves along its path to becoming a global middle power by its centennial in 2045, it must not forget the key ingredient that will bind its aspirations into a cohesive whole: world-class intelligence capabilities.

1 hour ago

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Indonesian equities at crisis valuations, yet the economy is robust

The Indonesian economy is nowhere near a crisis. Growth has slowed marginally in recent months but is still robust and inflation is under control. ...

1 day ago

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The ocean is not just a carbon sink

Long outdated is the notion of the ocean as the planet’s greatest “carbon sink”, as are the climate strategies associated with that perceived construct; rather, our oceans must be at the heart of global mitigation efforts, as they already are in the food security, cultural identity and economic resilience of coastal communities everywhere. ...

22 hours ago

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Irrecoverable: Deforestation is seen from above on Dec. 21, 2024, at an area on Kawei Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua province.

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Raja Ampat’s nickel paradox: When green ambitions threaten blue paradise

Who benefits from mining in Raja Ampat? The communities who have fished these waters for centuries, or the elites and investors far removed from the consequences of ecological collapse?

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A fisherman unloads a crate from a small boat at the Muara Angke fishing port in North Jakarta on Nov. 21, 2024.

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UN ocean summit: Indonesia can lead in turning global climate tide

As the world finally wakes up to the critical climate role of oceans, which cover around 71 percent of Earth's surface, Indonesia has a clear opportunity to take the helm of global ocean governance at this week's UNOC3.

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(Left-right) Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi, Myanmar's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe, Qatar's Minister of Commerce and Industry Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Affairs Sayyid Asaad Tariq Taimur Al Said, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, China's Premier Li Qiang, Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof, Ruler of the UAE's Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Indonesia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiono, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn pose for a group photo at the ASEAN - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - China Summit after the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 27.

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ASEAN's choice: A principled future or a path to irrelevance?

Pragmatism without an ambitious, principles-based vision will not go far, and the new Vision 2045 will not make ASEAN as relevant as we hope.

23 hours ago

Key commodity: A farmer harvests oil palm fresh fruit bunches on May 23, 2022, at a plantation in Kuta Makmur, Aceh.

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Empowering plantation smallholders to address economic inequality

Despite their substantial contribution to national production, many smallholders remain trapped in structural disadvantages.

1 day ago

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End of JI: Reckoning with the past, rethinking the future

Social media, gaming platforms, encrypted apps and increasingly, generative artificial intelligence tools are now the frontlines of radicalization.

2 days ago

Critical voice: Greenpeace Indonesia activists unfurl banners on June 3, 2025, to protest nickel mining in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, during the Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference & Expo 2025 in Jakarta.

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Ecocide in Raja Ampat: Defending the right to healthy life

The recent news on mining in Raja Ampat sounds the alarm on potential ecocide as a symptom of the government’s systemic, structural failure to protect our country's resources in line with its constitutional obligation to its people, including future generations.

2 days ago

Demonstrators gather on Cambridge Common on April 25 to protest Harvard's stance on the war in Gaza and to show support for the Palestinian people, outside Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the United States.

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Trump vs Harvard: In defense of truth and intellectualism

Trump’s statements and policies are absurd, undemocratic and authoritarian.

2 days ago

A coffee shop visitor watches a video on YouTube on his computer in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on April 12, 2025.

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Social media and the quiet return of imperialism

What looks like “freedom of speech” on social media becomes ranking of speech, meaning what is said depends on what spreads.

2 days ago

South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung (second right) makes an arm heart gesture to people outside the National Assembly as he and his wife Kim Hye-kyung (right) leave following the inauguration ceremony in Seoul on June 4.

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South Korea’s new president: Implications for bilateral and regional cooperation

As the dust settles from the election, international partners, especially in the Indo-Pacific, are watching closely, with particular attention from Indonesia.

5 days ago

A machine produces semiconductor chips on Dec. 25, 2024, at a factory in Binzhou, Shandong, China.

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Will Trump's tariffs destroy global value chains?

Governments should look to adapting multilateral policy frameworks, including IP protections, environmental standards and investment screening policies, to embrace the strategic shift happening in the semiconductor supply chain due to geopolitical developments as well as technological advances.

4 days ago

Students of the Laskar Langit Islamic boarding school in Margaluyu village, Tasikmalaya regency, West Java, wrap sacrificial meat with teakwood leaves, instead of plastic bags, before distributing them to the poor Idul Adha on June 17, 2024.

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‘Qurban’ as an instrument of self-control and human solidarity

Qurban teaches that sacrifice is not a loss but a spiritual and social investment for the common good.

5 days ago

A man stands on plastic waste and other garbage washed ashore that has accumulated thickly on a beach in Kedonganan, Badung regency, Bali, on Jan. 3, 2025.

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On World Environment Day, you can help end plastic pollution

Ending plastic pollution is clearly a human health, planetary health, economic health and business health imperative.

5 days ago

Workers use wooden boats to clear waste from a section of the Citarum River in Batujajar, West Bandung regency, West Java, on June 12, 2024. Authorities estimate that the floating garbage in the Citarum, often dubbed as the world's most polluted river, spans around 3 kilometers and weighs around 100 tonnes.

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From crisis to circularity: Bandung’s fight to curb the tide of waste

The waste crisis in Bandung, like that in many growing cities, is a complex issue rooted in infrastructure gaps, behavioral norms and policy inertia.

5 days ago

A commuter train bound for Bogor arrives at Manggarai Station in South Jakarta on Jan. 3, 2023.

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Economic stimulus: A solution or just another patchwork fix?

Without a well-structured and precisely delivered package, the stimulus risks offering only a short-term boost.

5 days ago

Students stand at the ready in a barracks on May 5 while undergoing character and discipline training at a military education center in West Bandung regency, West Java. At the center, hundreds of students from various regions across West Java who have been involved in street brawls and motorbike gangs, or who are addicted to online games, undergo intensive training led by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel for at least 14 days.

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The erosion of civil supremacy: A quiet shift in Indonesia’s statecraft

We are witnessing the normalization of both emergency governance and militarization, which are fundamentally at odds with democratic accountability and meritocracy.

6 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) gestures on May 15, 2025, while addressing a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta.

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Indonesia-Australia ties: Time to turn trust surplus into tangible gains

Amid the global shocks and turmoil of today, Indonesia and Australia have signaled a shift in their relationship to one based on democratic values, trust and trade, heralding a true partnership between equals with the potential to bring stability to the Indo-Pacific.

6 days ago

Workers are seen on a scaffolding on Monday at the construction site of the Liuqing Railway in Anqing, in eastern China's Anhui province.

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China must not fear fiscal expansion

If China is to achieve its growth target for 2025, things must change.

6 days ago

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Risks and rewards of a US-ASEAN special summit

Washington must avoid imposing its technology standards or demanding that ASEAN countries exclusively align with the US.

5 days ago

Illustration of servers in a data center.

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Can ASEAN build a sustainable data center future?

Despite the rapid spread of the digital economy, the ASEAN legal and regulatory frameworks are still stuck in a pre-digital past.

5 days ago

Elementary school students participate in a coloring contest at a literacy festival and book fair held in Padalarang, West Bandung Regency, on Feb. 18.

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Sekolah Rakyat: A path to equity, if ministries align

With smarter coordination, Sekolah Rakyat can shine as a model of equity.

6 days ago

Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Myanmar's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, President Prabowo Subianto and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao (from left to right) pose for a group photo on May 26 during the plenary session at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

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Does Indonesia prosper if ASEAN prospers?

As the largest economy in Southeast Asia and de-facto leader of ASEAN, do we stand to benefit from a more prosperous ASEAN?

1 week ago

A woman from the Collective of Indonesian Trade Unions (GSBI) holds a poster calling for the revocation of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation on March 9, 2020, during a protest in front of the national legislature in Senayan, Jakarta.

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Southeast Asia remains unfriendly for women in politics

A recent report exposing the growing violence targeting woman parliamentarians in Southeast Asia serves as a clarion call to create a regional protection initiative for lawmakers at risk, as well as facilitate their inclusion and empower their voices toward gender equality in politics: a fundamental principle of democracy.

1 week ago

Rows of stacked containers wait to be transported on May 22, 2024, at Tanjung Perak Port in Semarang, Central Java.

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ASEAN needs to call an RCEP leaders' summit

In today's rapidly shifting geo-economic landscape, ASEAN needs to take the lead by convening a leaders' summit of RCEP member countries to upgrade the agreement toward fully realizing its potential in upholding multilateralism via a collective front.

1 week ago

Representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin are seen in this illustration photo taken on Nov. 25, 2024.

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Is effective crypto regulation finally coming?

The US may finally be nearing meaningful crypto regulation amid shifting politics and global pressure.

1 week ago

A taxpayer takes a picture of the guideline for requesting online taxation services on Nov. 20, 2023, at a counter at the Kebayoran Baru 1 branch of the tax office in South Jakarta.

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Tax office needs bigger resources to increase tax collection

While Indonesia has segmented its tax offices and embraced digital tools, the bureaucracy still lacks the agility to navigate the informal economy.

6 days ago

Strategic training: Indonesian Military personnel rappel from the Indonesian Air Force H-225 M Caracal helicopter on Sept. 6, 2024, during the Super Garuda Shield 2024 joint military exercise including Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, in Situbondo, East Java.

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US-China rivalry requires Indonesia to review defense posture

Given the inherent demand for highly compatible and interoperable weaponry systems, the TNI should prioritize exploring acquisitions from a single nation to streamline integration.

1 week ago

A Harimau medium tank made by state-owned land weapons maker PT Pindad (right) is parked next to Pandur II 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.

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A 5 percent defense trap: Indonesia’s path to strategic balance

Indonesia should pursue a balanced 2-3 percent GDP defense budget, leveraging quantum technology and strategic partnerships to strengthen its security, preserve its economy and maintain its non-aligned stance.

1 week ago

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