Indonesia
A free trade zone for Timor-Leste and Indonesia
In July, Indonesian President Joko Widodo received President José Ramos-Horta for the first state visit of the Timor-Leste leader’s term. Both made proposals to deepen economic…
Economic diplomacy: Womenomics shifts from Tokyo to Jakarta
Labour pains
While Japan and Indonesia have radically different population pyramids, today they face the common dilemma that how they manage these differences will have a big…
Making sense of Indonesia’s fuel riots
With less than two months until the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia has gone into public security mode. The government is facing a major public backlash after President Joko Widodo…
Bali 2002: When global terrorism first came close to home
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost twenty years since the night of 12 October 2002. The deadly impact of extremism will always be with the survivors and those who lost…
Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters
Last week, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi wrapped up a brief official visit to Fiji and Solomon Islands. On her agenda, apart from the usual high-level bilateral…
Twenty years after Bali
Over summer in Australia we’re featuring selected articles from the past year. This was originally published 14 September 2022.
The horrified reaction of many Australians…
Indonesia’s criminal code a step backwards, not forwards
After two years of pandemic killjoy, Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations last month had a festive feel. During a ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, the public was…
Blue economy may be the key to South Asia's upswing
For decades, traditional and non-traditional threats in South Asia have found their footing in shifting geopolitical patterns. The Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the recent Sri…
Fashionistas take to the streets of Indonesia
Citayam Fashion Week, a term that loosely refers to the spontaneous, outdoor gatherings of Indonesian youths in which they perform al fresco fashion shows, has caught the…
Does ASEAN really need an official “second language”?
The idea of an “official language” for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been a contentious subject over the years. Recently, the issue has resurfaced.
In…