ARTICLES

16 Apr 2025

Javanese Dakwah Preacher Capitalises on Charisma, Human Touch to Pull in Crowds

A'an Suryana

Style rather than substance may be what is attracting people, especially women.

Indonesia Islam

11 Apr 2025

Reassessing Anies Baswedan’s Legacy in Jakarta: Institutionalising Collaboration to Address Urban Challenges

Najwa Abdullah

Apart from his political legacy, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan might have left a lasting policy and bureaucratic impact on how Jakarta develops as an urban city, quite apart from its identity as the nation’s capital, which it is about to shed.

10 Apr 2025

‘Dark Indonesia’ and the Anxiety of Indonesian Middle Class

Burhanuddin Muhtadi

The series of student and civil society protests across Indonesia and some recent surveys reveal a middle class for which all is not well.

Indonesia Indonesian Economy Indonesian Politics

1 Apr 2025

Batam Struggles to Up the Ante as Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone Rises

Francis E. Hutchinson

The JS-SEZ poses deep questions for nearby Batam as its competitive advantage hinges on proximity to Singapore, ready land and labour, and generous incentives for investors — just like Johor. Batam is also hampered by connectivity, jurisdiction, and land procurement woes.

Indonesia Indonesian Economy

27 Mar 2025

Growing or Shrinking? How Indonesia’s Middle Class is Really Doing

Maria Monica Wihardja|Chatib Basri

We must get Indonesia’s middle-class narrative right to devise appropriate policy responses. While some argue that the middle class has grown, the evidence tells a more sobering story.

Indonesia Indonesian Economy Indonesian Politics

20 Mar 2025

Sound of Resistance: Indonesian Youth Expression of Social and Political Critique

Iim Halimatusa’diyah|Najwa Abdullah

A popular band’s retraction of a song critical of corruption in Indonesia highlights the chill in the political climate against outward dissent and activism.

Civil Society Indonesia Indonesian Politics Youth

20 Mar 2025

Shaping Indonesia’s Democracy: Youth Alight Amidst #DarkIndonesia

Yanuar Nugroho|Made Supriatma

Indonesia’s youth protests today call to mind past cases of student activism in the quarter century of post-reform democracy since the fall of Suharto. Will history repeat itself?

Indonesia Indonesian Politics Protest Youth

14 Mar 2025

Indonesia’s Probable Foreign Policy Shift from the West under a Prabowo Administration

Melinda Martinus

Under Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia is expected to further distance itself from traditional Western alliances — a trend initiated during Jokowi’s administration — by prioritising partnerships within Asia, particularly with China for trade and investment, and strengthening regional cooperation through ASEAN and BRICS.

China Indonesia Indonesia Foreign Policy US

10 Mar 2025

Why Thai and Indonesian Youth Oppose Increasing Military Influence in Society

Iim Halimatusa’diyah|Panarat Anamwathana

Compared to young people in other Southeast Asian countries, Thai and Indonesian undergraduates are the most wary of potential military influence over their countries’ politics and their own lives.

Indonesia Indonesian Military Thai Military Thailand Youth