Asia|

Indonesia

view

Timor Trough: the rumpled carpet on the sea floor

John Carlson says Australia approached maritime boundary negotiations with Indonesia in 1972 by arguing the Timor Trough was the meeting point of two geologically distinct continental shelves at a subduction zone. But the trough does not constitute two separate shelves any more than a rumpled carpet

By Brendan Duffy

view

Indonesia: countering a message of hate

After the Bali bombings of 2002, security forces within the Government of Indonesia, like their Western counterparts, worked towards incorporating “ideological” or “soft” approaches into counterterrorism portfolios. This approach later became commonly known as Countering Violent

By Kate Grealy

view

Indonesia’s “Islamic diplomacy” seeks to broker an Afghan peace

Indonesia is set to host talks among Indonesian and Afghan Islamic clerics in Bogor, south of Jakarta, at the end of March. This dialogue, part of Indonesia’s bid to mediate the peace process in the long-standing Afghan conflict, will involve the Indonesian Ulema Council and Afghanistan

By Ahmad Rizky M. Umar

view

Australia–Indonesia: strangers next door

At the weekend, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will meet with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on the margins of the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit. Although Turnbull seems to have built the positive personal relationship with Jokowi that eluded Tony Abbott, managing the bilateral

By Tim Lindsey, Dave McRae

view

Countering youth radicalisation in Indonesia

A group of ten Muslim students gathered in the shady courtyard of central Jakarta’s Roman Catholic Cathedral are reluctant to pass through its neo-Gothic doorways. Some argue that entering the cathedral would contravene their devotion to Islam and equate to an abandonment of faith.

By Cameron Sumpter

view

Surmounting Indonesia’s education problems

Although the recent Lowy Institute report by Andrew Rosser, “Beyond Access: Making Indonesia’s Education System Work”, reveals an Indonesian education system buckling under its own deficiencies, it can be read largely optimistically. The weaknesses Rosser outlines are all redeemable

By Erin Cook

view

The Timor Trough – two separate shelves

In her article “How Australia crossed a line in the Timor Sea”, Kim McGrath claims that Australia had evidence supporting Indonesia’s claim in maritime boundary negotiations – but buried it. This serious charge is not substantiated by the 1970 report from then Bureau of

By John Carlson

view

Quality over quantity: Indonesia’s education challenge

Two enduring ideological themes have informed Indonesian education policy almost since the Repulic was founded. The first has been an “education for all” approach, and the second has been to use the education system to promote a sense of an “Indonesian identity”. Largely absent from

By Kevin Evans

view

Shrugging Indonesia’s inferiority complex

Under President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo, Indonesia has been accused of lacking a coherent foreign policy, particularly when compared to the overtly internationalist outlook of previous president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Despite bold early claims to set up Indonesia as a “global maritime fulcrum”,

By Sian Troath

view

Improving education quality in Indonesia is no easy task

In September, Indonesia’s Ministry for Research, Technology and Higher Education suspended Jakarta State University (UNJ) rector Professor Djaali after a ministry-sponsored review found evidence of academic misconduct and mismanagement at the university. UNJ is one of the country’s

By Andrew Rosser

view

Sensitivity as Indonesia grapples with a measles outbreak in Papua

The Indonesian Government is grappling with a measles outbreak in the Papuan district of Asmat, where at least 65 children have died since the epidemic began in October. Almost 600 people, including adults, have been treated for the disease in the remote highland district, with hundreds hospitalised

By Kate Walton

view

Punitive measures: Indonesia’s new draft criminal code

Indonesia is currently gripped by news about plans to revise the country’s criminal code (RKUHP). This could see draconian new laws passed in the country that include making cohabitation between unmarried couples illegal, criminalising homosexual acts, and the introduction of&

By Aisyah Llewellyn

view

The chosen one: Djarot’s surprise bid to govern North Sumatra

In January, Indonesia’s Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDIP), or the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, made an announcement. Djarot Saiful Hidayat, the former governor of Jakarta and one of the most high-profile politicians in Indonesia, would run for governor of North Sumatra in

By Aisyah Llewellyn

view

Indonesia–US relations: sweating the small stuff

The US and Indonesia have declared an overarching “strategic partnership” to meet broader challenges, from regional architecture building to global governance. At least, this was the case under the Barack Obama (2008–16) and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004–14) presidencies. But under

By Evan A Laksmana

view

Will Jakarta no longer be Indonesia’s capital?

'There’s no wind, no rain, but Minister for National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) Bambang Brodjonegoro on Monday announced that the government plans to move the capital from Jakarta in 2018.' This was the lead paragraph of an article published by Indonesian newspaper

By Febriana Firdaus

view

Revisiting the 1972 seabed boundary negotiations with Indonesia

Making a judgement in the present about events in the past is fraught with difficulties. It is natural and often right to view past events with the moral and legal perspectives of the present. However, it is very risky to impute motivation to actors in the past as if they were informed by facts or

By Hugh Wyndham

view

Indonesia elections: Three factors that will shape the political trajectory of 2018

For Joko (Jokowi) Widodo, the first Indonesian President elected from outside Jakarta's elite, the combination of disruptive global forces and the intrinsic features of Indonesia's contemporary polity tested both his leadership and the nation's stability in 2017. It became abundantly

By Greta Nabbs-Keller

view

Political Islam, intolerance, and the IS threat in Indonesia

According to the pollster Alvara, one in five Indonesian students favour the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate; one in three don't approve of non-Muslims leading Muslims. Research undertaken by the Setara Institute indicates that Jakarta is now the least religiously tolerant city in the country

By Bobby Anderson

view

The ill-advised rush for Australia to strike a trade deal with Indonesia

Negotiations for the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) entered extra time this week, as negotiators agreed to add an 11th round (the 7th since leaders reactivated the initiative in March 2016) after negotiations in November failed to produce a final deal

By Matthew Busch

view

Putting Indonesian Papua’s tensions in context

Since August, numerous civilians and security staff have been killed or wounded in the Tembagapura area in Indonesian Papua, host of Freeport McMoRan's vast Grasberg mining complex. The violence is almost entirely ascribed to the armed wing of the Free Papua Organization (Organisasi Papua Merdeka or

By Bobby Anderson

view

The first global supply chain

The city of Ternate in eastern Indonesia seems forgotten by time. Its quiet bustle is confined to the coastal fringes of Mount Gamalama, with its imperious presence. The most prominent building in the low-slung city is a monumental new mosque, minus two of its four minarets that fell down in a

By Stephen Grenville

view

Indonesia's electricity play imperils national economic goals

'The generation plan could unnerve investors and leave private operators on hook for state equity.' Originally published in the Nikkei Asian Review

By Matthew Busch

view

Indonesia is talking tough on drugs, and Australians should listen

Last month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo issued a stern missive to the law enforcement agencies responsible for tackling drug crime: 'Be firm, especially to foreign drug dealers who enter the country and resist arrest. Gun them down. Give no mercy because we indeed are in a narcotics emergency

By Olivia Shen

view

Indonesia's unorthodox toll road debt

In 2016 Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works dramatically underestimated the funds it needed to acquire land for toll road development. To try to keep development on schedule, the government leaned on toll road developers to lend them the difference at well-below-commercial rates. Over a year

By John Cheong-Holdaway

view

Jokowi's panicky politics

Originally published in Foreign Affairs

By Matthew Busch

view

Indonesia’s new North Natuna Sea: What’s in a name?

On Friday, Indonesian officials announced that they had renamed the waters northeast of the Natuna Islands, at the far southern end of the South China Sea, the 'North Natuna Sea'. Indonesian officials were quick to emphasise that they were not renaming the entire South China Sea, only the

By Aaron L Connelly

view

Jokowi’s bungled ban of Hizbut Tahrir

On 13 July, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) issued a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) which will allow the banning of the Islamist organisation Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI). This follows the government’s announcement on 9 May that it intended to disband HTI on the grounds that its

By Gregory Fealy

view

Trump's Indonesian business dealings: Taking the toll road

This week ABC’s Four Corners ran an exposé of US President Donald Trump’s business dealings in Indonesia. The investigative report featured the taking over of a toll road project by the state as the key part to finalising a deal to build a mega-resort in south of Jakarta. Whenever a

By Jamie Davidson

view

Islamist violence in Marawi City a potential threat to Indonesia

Originally published in the Australian.

By Alan Dupont

view

‘Maphilindo’ cooperation on the Marawi siege

On Monday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano announced that Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is planning a trilateral conference with the Philippines and Malaysia to discuss the situation in Marawi City. Several Malaysian and Indonesian terrorists have been killed in the

By Malcolm Cook

view

Indonesian democracy: Down, but not out

The imprisonment on blasphemy charges of Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, has been a blow to hopes that his earlier success in public office represented the emergence of a more pluralist politics in Indonesia. There is little question that the accusation that Ahok had

By Aaron L Connelly, Matthew Busch

view

Refugee detention in Indonesia

It was a morning like any other until Mohammed, the 16-year-old refugee, was arrested by Indonesian immigration officials at a local market. In order to support his family, who had fled Afghanistan to seek asylum in Indonesia, he had taken up work assisting a shopkeeper. Before he had a chance to

By Thomas Brown, Antje Missbach

view

Two decisions that leave Indonesia more polarised than ever

Two back-to-back decisions have left Indonesia more religiously polarised than ever. One was politically inept, the second deeply unjust. Both may come back to haunt the Jokowi government. The first was the announcement on 8 May that the government would ban Hizbut Tahrir, an international

By Sidney Jones

view

Resource nationalism in post-boom Indonesia: The new normal?

Most observers expected resource nationalism in Indonesia to fade once the global commodity boom ended. Yet despite more difficult economic circumstances, Indonesia’s government has stayed on a nationalist economic path. This Analysis examines the factors that sustain resource nationalism in

By Eve Warburton

view

Jakarta election result spells trouble for Jokowi and Indonesia

The heavy loss of incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama to former education minister Anies Baswedan signals rising intolerance and demonstrates the influence of hard-line Muslim groups in Indonesia, spelling trouble for President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and moderate

By Erin Cook

view

Why the Jakarta election result could be bad news for Jokowi

Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Photo: Getty Images/Oscar Siagian

By Matthew Busch

view

Indonesia must lead for sake of its interests in South China Sea

Originally published in the Jakarta Post

By Aaron L Connelly

view

Indonesia di Laut Cina Selatan: Berjalan sendiri

Selagi Indonesia di bawah pimpinan Jokowi dapat diharapkan terus mengambil langkah unilateral untuk memperkuat posisi Indonesia di sekitar Kepulauan Natuna, Jokowi belum memainkan peran diplomasi yang aktif pada isu Laut Cina Selatan yang lebih luas. Untuk jangka panjang, Indonesia akan lebih baik

By Aaron L Connelly

view

Infrastructure: How Indonesia could shift up a gear

Next year Indonesia will host the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Nusa Dua, Bali. This is a big deal: these meetings leave Washington only once every third year and involve thousands of high-level participants. In announcing that Indonesia would host the 2018

By Stephen Grenville

view

Can Indonesia take on Freeport?

Originally published in the East Asia Forum.

By Matthew Busch

view

After a slow start, Turnbull and Jokowi ready to get down to business

Malcolm Turnbull is moving quickly to maintain the momentum of an improving relationship with Indonesia with a speedily organised visit to Jakarta this week. The prime minister’s trip comes hot on the heels of a long-awaited visit to Australia by Indonesian president Jokowi barely a week ago. With

By Catriona Croft-Cusworth

view

Fairness not the meat in Joko Widodo deal

More than anything, President Joko Widodo's brief recent visit to Australia showcased a warm, personal rapport between him and Malcolm Turnbull, and the Prime Minister is to be commended for his efforts to forge the connection, wrote Matthew Busch in the Australian on 3 March

By Matthew Busch

view

The question for Jokowi: Indonesia first, but can Australia be second?

President Jokowi is finally making an official visit to Australia this weekend. But while he spends the weekend shaking hands in Sydney, the Indonesian leader may be concentrating more on how his Australia visit plays back home. The visit comes more than two years into Jokowi’s presidency, and

By Catriona Croft-Cusworth

view

Jokowi set to visit Sydney (finally) but don't expect too much

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is scheduled to visit Sydney on Saturday and Sunday, where he will meet the prime minister, governor general, business leaders, and the Indonesian community. It will be a brief affair, much shorter than the four-day state visit - punctuated by an address to

By Aaron L Connelly

view

Democracy in Indonesia: A cause for celebration

Prior to Indonesia holding 101 local elections across the nation, Islamic leaders and the National Police publicly urged citizens to stay united. National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian asserted that differences 'are common in a democracy'. He said: 'You may have different candidate preferences

By Max Walden

view

Defence fracas shows fault lines in Australia-Indonesia relations

The dust has settled on a tumultuous few days when it fleetingly appeared as if material Indonesia found offensive at a Perth army base had precipitated a bilateral crisis. For two days the media in both countries ran wild with reports that Indonesia’s ultra-nationalist military chief, Gatot

By Jewel Topsfield

view

Islamic civil society’s enduring vitality in Indonesia's democracy

Around 30,000 people attended an interfaith rally organised by the military at Jakarta’s national monument this week, asserting Indonesian peace and unity through group prayer, singing national songs and waving the colours of the national flag. While organised by the national military and police (

By Max Walden

view

The Ahok witch-hunt in Jakarta

While Saturday’s rally in Central Jakarta celebrating the tenet Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (‘Unity in Diversity’) failed to pull a crowd as large as the rally calling for Jakarta’s governor Ahok to be jailed for blasphemy in the same spot just over a fortnight earlier, it was thankfully a calmer

By Erin Cook

view

Jakarta rally exposes division among Islamic State loyalists

By Nava Nuraniyah, an analyst at the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), Jakarta. Extremist groups have failed to exploit the 4 November Islamist protest against the Jakarta governor in order to spark sectarian conflict. In fact, the rally has deepened internal

view

China drives Australia and Indonesia into a closer embrace

Australia holds so-called 2+2 meetings of foreign and defence ministers with a steadily expanding number of nations, Germany having joined the A-list last September. Getting senior defence and foreign affairs officials in the same room at the same time makes perfect sense: many foreign relations

By Gary Hogan

Contact Us

Lowy Institute

PO Box H-159
Australia Square NSW 1215, Australia
+61 2 8238 9000
reception@lowyinstitute.org

Media Enquiries

Erin Bassett
+61 2 8238 9035
+61 (0)409 461 795

Search

Institute - Top Menu

Indonesia

Pages

Useful Links

Contact Us

Our Location