ARTICLES

7 May 2025

Fear of Military Interference in Politics Runs Deep in Indonesia

Max Lane

Indonesia’s civil society and university campuses have long been a bellwether for military overreach. The current mood among resistors is distinctly anxious.

28 Apr 2025

Indonesia’s Food Estates: Why Poor Public Policy Persists

Fannesa Adisty Laksmita

Indonesia’s presidents keep trying to make food estates work but the scheme will fall short without engaging the true stakeholders and honestly assessing the project’s merits.

Food Security Indonesia Indonesian Politics

17 Apr 2025

Are the Russians Coming to Indonesia?

Ian Storey

Indonesia has put paid to rumours that Russia is seeking an air base in Papua. Still, Papua’s proximity to the US force presence in Guam and Australia gives Moscow a clear strategic interest in pursuing the idea.

Indonesia Indonesia Foreign Policy Indonesia-Russia Relations Russia

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.

Anies Baswedan Indonesia Indonesian Politics

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