17 Apr 2026
Indonesia can’t keep rowing between reefs
After a week hedging in all directions, the limits on Prabowo’s approach are becoming clear.
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16 Apr 2026
Jakarta risks flying blind
Indonesia’s “independent and active” doctrine is being tested by signs of drift. -
14 Apr 2026
What the Hormuz crisis reveals about Australia’s Indonesian sea lanes
Laws alone will not keep Australia’s vital trading routes open when it matters. -
10 Apr 2026
No flag, no crew, no rights – what Indonesia can legally do about the Lombok drone
A torpedo-like object found off Lombok may not qualify as a “ship”, challenging categories that weren’t designed for unmanned vessels. -
10 Apr 2026
There’s a bear in there: Russia in the Indo-Pacific
A Russian naval visit to Jakarta barely rated a mention in Australia. -
7 Apr 2026
Indonesia believes in cheap fuel
Six decades of history explain why Jakarta keeps fuel cheap – and why any reform must work with that logic. -
30 Mar 2026
As Prabowo arrives in Tokyo, Japan and Indonesia are building faster than they are thinking
The Tokyo–Jakarta partnership looks impressive but whether it holds is another question. -
30 Mar 2026
After America: How Southeast Asia can defend itself
A Taiwan contingency won’t leave Southeast Asia untouched. The region needs a defence strategy built on its own terms. -
27 Mar 2026
Harnessing Islamic philanthropy to save lives in the Andaman Sea
Islamic charitable networks raised US$2.8 billion in Indonesia last year, offering a chance to fund search and rescue of Rohingya refugees at sea. -
25 Mar 2026
Life of an Indonesian app driver: All rides, no rights
Indonesia’s app drivers are keeping cities moving but without basic labour protections. -
13 Mar 2026
Indonesia needs to better explain the resilience in its state budget
Economic judgement is too narrowly focused. -
11 Mar 2026
Indonesia’s bet on economic self-reliance
From food self-sufficiency to resource processing, Jakarta is building strategic capability in an uncertain era. -
9 Mar 2026
China’s surplus and Western rules are strangling Asian industry
Developing nations are being squeezed between a Western-imposed regulatory ceiling and a China-induced industrial floor. -
26 Feb 2026
Sabah’s borders: Indonesia joins Malaysia-Philippines dispute
A border row between Malaysia and Indonesia is reviving memories of older unresolved territorial fights. -
25 Feb 2026
What the aunties miss about tariffs
A good tariff deal means little if permits crawl and customs stumble. -
23 Feb 2026
Freeport’s Papua mine deal buys time
The harder test will be downstreaming, decarbonisation and Papuan equity. -
16 Feb 2026
Indonesia–Australia Security Treaty: Middle powers choosing consultation over blocs
Regional states are furthering security ties to retain autonomy, not to balance a single adversary. -
12 Feb 2026
Indonesia’s multi-alignment dilemma under Prabowo
The president’s ambitious foreign policy agenda relies on already stretched diplomatic and economic capabilities. -
10 Feb 2026
What Southeast Asia’s platform-based credit boom doesn’t show
Automated lending creates exposure faster than traditional risk metrics can detect it. -
6 Feb 2026
The placebo risk to the Australia–Indonesia “common security” treaty
The language focuses on consultation and coordination without requiring concrete action when it counts. -
23 Jan 2026
How “buzzer politics” is reshaping Indonesia’s democracy
In Southeast Asia, democracy has gone digital, with online influencers and propaganda teams shaping the narratives. -
19 Jan 2026
What the Grok bans in Southeast Asia tell us about AI governance
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are setting the pace on global AI governance norms. -
15 Jan 2026
Indonesia's gamble on mega merger of ride-hailing firms
The government's golden share in a Southeast Asian superapp would set a dangerous precedent for state power. -
7 Jan 2026
How Indonesia can avoid the carbon credits gimmick
Indonesia's carbon credit strategy rests on weak foundations. -
23 Dec 2025
Indonesia’s new trade imperative is storytelling
Modern trade agreements rarely fail on technical merits. They fail when the public rejects their story. -
10 Dec 2025
China’s new media platform: Telling stories, shaping narratives
The Maritime Silk Road Media Cooperation Platform offers opportunities for media outlets from Indonesia – but also poses risks. -
10 Dec 2025
China raises the cost of Indonesia’s neutrality
Far from mere choreography, Beijing is shaping Jakarta’s growth agenda to suit its future core interests. -
8 Dec 2025
Sumatra floods: Indonesia stuck in a cycle of crisis management
President Prabowo must address years of institutional neglect to tackle the structural failures fuelling disasters. -
1 Dec 2025
Foreign interference and Indonesia's buzzer networks
New X data reveals the networks amplifying false narratives, yet attribution remains frustratingly elusive. -
1 Dec 2025
How China views its economic relations with Indonesia
Economic dependence, not alliance, suits Beijing’s interests. -
25 Nov 2025
Southeast Asian manufacturing: No longer immune from geopolitics
The region’s industrial sector must adapt in a new climate of supply-chain weaponisation. -
17 Nov 2025
Agency preservation drives the Indonesia–Australia security treaty
The echoes of history are evident – only this time, trust may not be as important as the context. -
14 Nov 2025
The Australia-Indonesia pact won’t shift the regional balance
But this diplomatic win for Australia does reflect warm neighbourly ties. -
13 Nov 2025
“Anchored in the region” – What the new Australia–Indonesia security treaty really means
The pact strengthens trust between neighbours who don’t always agree, without abandoning Indonesia’s non-alignment. -
4 Nov 2025
Timor-Leste: to join the ASEAN neighbourhood, start with the house next door
Indonesia could make ASEAN membership meaningful for Timor-Leste by opening up ferries and flights from Kupang. -
4 Nov 2025
Repairing warships, maintaining neutrality: Indonesia’s legal balancing act
A deal to repair US warships has sparked debate over Jakarta’s foreign policy tradition – but international law offers clear guidance. -
3 Nov 2025
Indonesia's diplomacy: Changing with confidence
A stagnant foreign policy approach will not serve the nation at a time when adaptability is a necessity. -
28 Oct 2025
Indonesia values the forests, but can it fund the trees?
Jakarta is buying influence in the new climate order. -
24 Oct 2025
Malaysia and Indonesia can turn a border dispute into an opportunity
After decades of tension, pragmatic cooperation on energy resources offers a path forward in contested waters. -
23 Oct 2025
Prabowo’s first year: Visibility without vision in Indonesian foreign policy
The Indonesian President seeks advantage wherever it can be found – but deal-making may cost his country’s influence. -
21 Oct 2025
The sun is setting on Southeast Asia’s solar exporters
US tariffs are testing whether ASEAN is all talk on regional integration for renewable energy generation. -
17 Oct 2025
Signal failure for China’s railway diplomacy in Southeast Asia
As Indonesia renegotiates railway debt with China, other Southeast Asian nations face a cautionary tale about mega-projects. -
14 Oct 2025
Indonesia makes a quiet return to Pyongyang
Jakarta wants to take its bridge-building diplomacy from ASEAN to North Korea. -
9 Oct 2025
Takaichi and Prabowo can redefine the Japan-Indonesia relationship
Tokyo’s conservative turn meets Jakarta’s military modernisation, transforming a development partnership into dual-track ties. -
8 Oct 2025
Europe notches an early win in Indonesian free trade deal
EU trade with Southeast Asia has been undercooked, but a recent agreement augurs well for others in the pipeline. -
6 Oct 2025
Prabowo’s policies won’t fix Indonesia’s problems
Heavy spending and top-down control are unlikely to rescue Indonesia from corruption, inequality and investor doubt. -
3 Oct 2025
America’s EV plan needs Southeast Asia more than it admits
Unless the US wants to pay more and wait longer, it should secure trusted capacity from non-Chinese supply chains. -
3 Oct 2025
Indonesia’s free meal ambition: When policy becomes a recipe for risk
Grand promises about feeding children have fallen foul of rushed implementation and ignoring lessons from abroad. -
3 Oct 2025
Indonesia’s green industrial policy ahead of COP30
Jakarta is playing a balancing act between business wins and climate objectives. Can it work? -
30 Sep 2025
Indonesia’s SupTech experiment offers lessons for emerging markets
With consumer credit booming, AI-driven oversight could help safeguard the economy.