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Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Indonesia Today: On the Brink of Fascism?

This article asks whether Indonesia is showing early symptoms of fascistization rather than whether it has already become a fascist state. It examines five arenas: shrinking civic space, the return of soldiers to law enforcement, oligarchic concentration of wealth, aggressive nationalism, and a cult of personality around the president. It argues that these are not isolated incidents but a single pattern, and that the greater danger lies in a society that stops finding them alarming.

04 Aug 2026
Firda Amalia...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Indonesia-France Relations in the Field of Defense: Rational Choice Amid Global Pressure

This article analyzes Indonesia's ambitious military modernization through its strategic acquisition of Rafale fighter jets and Scorpène submarines from France. Utilizing Graham Allison’s Rational Choice theory, the article dissects the core strategic dilemma facing Jakarta: balancing the urgent need for advanced military technology against the crippling political risks of foreign dependency, a lesson painfully learned from the 1990s US military embargo and the looming threat of modern US CAATSA sanctions tied to Russian hardware. Rafsanjani argues that by turning to France, Indonesia acts as a highly calculating rational actor that skillfully diversifies its supply chain to avoid technology monopolies. This partnership offers a blueprint for Global South nations to optimize technology transfer and military modernization while fiercely protecting their independent, flexible, and non-aligned foreign policy.

21 Jul 2026
Abdullah Akbar...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Databases are Power: Geopolitics of AI Health and the Fate of the Global South

DeepRare is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the diagnosis of rare diseases. But beyond the clinical excitement, it signals a profound structural shift in the global health technology order. Will the Global South engage on its own negotiated terms, or continue to inherit terms dictated by others? In this latest piece, Bobby Purba unpacks the tension between the democratization of healthcare and the hidden geopolitics of data infrastructure. By exploring powerful historical precedents—from the Havasupai tribe case to the global expansion of BGI Group—we examine why adopting advanced AI platforms without strict, upfront governance simply replicates old patterns of data extraction. It is time for Global South nations to move past the paradox of access and actively assert a health data diplomacy agenda.

17 Jul 2026
Bobyano Dolyamano...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Prabowo’s Empty Chair in Kazan and the Rising Cost of Non-Alignment

This article analyzes President Prabowo’s decision to skip the June 2026 ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit in Kazan, arguing that his "empty chair" represents far more than mere strategic hedging; it exposes the severe domestic vulnerabilities of Indonesia's traditional bebas-aktif (independent and active) foreign policy under external pressures. In the wake of global energy shocks triggered by conflicts in the Middle East that drove crude oil prices up and disrupted transit routes, Indonesia faced immediate domestic repercussions: soaring import costs, record-breaking depreciation of the rupiah, and widespread student protests over fuel price hikes and welfare spending cuts. To mitigate these pressures, Jakarta has pursued alternative energy partnerships, including importing Russian crude and discussing long-term nuclear energy projects with Rosatom. Ultimately, Aniello argues that autonomy is fundamentally a material capacity rather than a legal status, warning that unless Indonesia builds the structural resilience to absorb external shocks, its historic doctrine of "rowing between two reefs" risks quietly shifting from strategic autonomy to managed infrastructural dependence.

14 Jul 2026
Aniello Iannone

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

ASEAN Sibling Rivalry: A Grassroots Challenge to ASEANization

This article analyzes the phenomenon of "sibling rivalry" at the Southeast Asian grassroots level as a primary challenge to the internal process of ASEANization. It argues that beneath the official diplomatic narrative of regional harmony, citizens frequently engage in intense identity competition, cultural ownership friction, and social comparisons. Abdullah Akbar Rafsanjani explores how treating ASEAN primarily as an elite bureaucratic project stalls organic regional consciousness, warning that unaddressed grassroots friction risks undermining regional solidarity and strategic mobility amidst shifting global power plays.

10 Jul 2026
Abdullah Akbar...

Business and Economy East Asia and the Pacific

Participation Without Influence in Indonesia’s Nickel Benefit Sharing

This article examines how Indonesia’s nickel downstreaming policy has driven rapid revenue and export growth without giving mining communities real influence over how benefits are shared. It argues that existing participation forums keep communities at a consultative level, treating benefit sharing as an administrative formula rather than a political question. The article traces how the 2020 Mining Law revision weakened accountability, and calls for re-politicizing participation through negotiation, independent mediation, and enforceable multi-stakeholder mechanisms.

05 Jul 2026
Ashari Cahyo...

Politics and Society Africa

“My Days Are Numbered”: The Cost of Pan-African Ambition

This article documents the systematic repression of Pan-African activists, journalists, and intellectuals across Africa and in exile. Through the cases of Thomas Sankara, Muammar Gaddafi, Itai Dzamara, Kemi Seba, Miguna Miguna, Stella Nyanzi, Tundu Lissu, Godbless Lema, and others, it argues that the violence directed at those who pursue African economic sovereignty and political liberation is neither incidental nor organic it is structural. The piece traces this repression from assassination and forced disappearance through exile and digital censorship, and situates it within the economics of global resource extraction that makes Pan-African ambition dangerous to entrenched power.

30 Jun 2026
Peseo Lao...

Business and Economy South and Central Asia

Rise of the 'Permission Economy' in Pakistan: Why Women's Autonomy Often Requires Approval

This article examines the "permission economy" in Pakistan, an informal socio-cultural framework where women's expanding educational and economic opportunities remain strictly contingent upon familial gatekeeper approval. It explores the three macro-drivers altering this terrain—surging urban higher education, inflationary pressures necessitating dual incomes, and smartphone/digital platform expansion—while identifying home-based freelancing as a highly compatible compromise for conservative households. Highlighting critical data from the GSMA, SSDO, and UN Women, the analysis demonstrates that while negotiated autonomy represents a rational strategy for female agency, it faces severe limits due to persistent gender-based violence, public safety deficits, and urban-rural digital divides.

17 Jun 2026
Rehan Zayer

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

What China's Global Initiatives and the ASEAN Way Can Contribute For the Future of Multipolar Order

This article evaluates the normative frameworks offered by China’s four global initiatives (GDI, GSI, GCI, GGI) and the ASEAN Way in shaping the emerging multipolar world order. It argues that while both models champion consensus, inclusivity, and peaceful dispute resolution as alternatives to unipolar domination, they suffer from a distinct credibility gap between rhetoric and realpolitik. The analysis concludes that for these frameworks to serve as viable universal principles, China must align with international legal rulings like the 2016 South China Sea arbitration, and ASEAN must overcome institutional gridlock regarding internal regional conflicts.

12 Jun 2026
Ahmad Nurcholis

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

How the ASEAN Way Manages Conflict: Lessons from the Thailand–Cambodia Crisis

This article examines the 2025 Thailand–Cambodia border conflict to evaluate the "ASEAN Way" of conflict management. While ASEAN successfully facilitated short-term de-escalation and ceasefires through consensus and informal diplomacy, recurring violence highlighted the limits of its non-coercive framework. The piece argues that while traditional principles like non-interference remain vital for maintaining political trust, ASEAN must develop stronger monitoring and compliance mechanisms to address unresolved, long-term regional security challenges.

02 Jun 2026
Izzul Fatchu...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

ASEAN, Middle Power, and Global Crisis

This article examines the May 2026 ASEAN Summit in Cebu and argues that, in a moment of great-power rivalry, ASEAN should act as a principled middle power rather than drift into proxy alignment or hollow neutrality. It reads the bloc’s history of consultation as an asset and lays out four practical priorities, preventive diplomacy, peace-and-development linkage, human capital, and middle-power leadership, for what the piece calls dynamic equilibrium.

29 May 2026
Hadi Prayitno

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Rhetoric and Realpolitik: Xi-Trump Meeting and Its Implications for the Global South

This article examines the May 2026 Beijing summit between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump and argues that real geopolitical power now rests on structural economic leverage rather than symbolic rhetoric. It contrasts China’s disciplined strategy with the United States’ populist, fluctuating communication on Taiwan and technology, and concludes that ASEAN and the Global South should respond with active, non-aligned hedging rather than dependence on either power.

23 May 2026
Erik Ardiyanto

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

How Jakarta's Waste Policy Turned Bantar Gebang Into a Climate Time Bomb

This article examines how the systemic failure of urban waste policy has turned the Bantar Gebang landfill into a severe climate and environmental hazard, undermining local governance, public health, and human security. Focusing on Jakarta and its peripheral regions, it traces how chronic underfunding, structural legal loopholes, and the institutional neglect of informal waste economies enable severe methane emissions and hazardous groundwater contamination. The article concludes by assessing policy reforms and regulatory restructuring aimed at strengthening mandatory budgetary commitments, upstream source segregation, and dignified ecological accountability.

18 May 2026
Nur Azizah...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Trump's Narcissistic Foreign Policy: A Lesson for Indonesia

This article examines how the rise of narcissistic foreign policy—exemplified by the "America First" era—has evolved into a systemic challenge for governance, undermining diplomatic rationality, institutional trust, and long-term strategic stability. Focusing on the transition from the Trump administration’s global impact to contemporary domestic trends in Indonesia, it traces how political ego, "hype" over substance, and the externalization of blame enable populist narratives to overshadow fundamental socio-economic needs. The article concludes by assessing the urgent need for a return to consensus-based, mature policymaking and robust institutional frameworks aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, and the prioritization of genuine public aspirations over political vanity.

15 May 2026
Ahmad Nurcholis

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

Jakarta Is Sinking While Nusantara Rises

Indonesia is spending Rp 75.8 trillion (around US$4.7 billion) building a new capital in Kalimantan while Jakarta's Giant Sea Wall sits years behind schedule and the ground beneath North Jakarta keeps subsiding. The article argues this is not a failure of foresight but of will, governments are drawn to legible, ribbon-cuttable projects like Nusantara and away from the unglamorous work of regulating groundwater extraction and enforcing zoning. It asks who gains from the move, who is left behind in Pluit and Penjaringan, and what one concrete step the government could take now to signal it is not abandoning the ten million people staying put.

08 May 2026
Sahar Manzoor

International Relations Latin America

Lula, Prabowo, and the Portuguese gambit: language as South-South currency

In October 2025, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto announced that Portuguese would join the priority languages taught in Indonesian schools. The decision reportedly surprised Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who was sitting next to him. Gustavo Pasqueta argues the gesture inverts the usual logic of language as soft power, with the receiving state volunteering to learn. He places it within the wider Indonesia-Brazil rapprochement and asks what survives once Lula and Prabowo leave office.

03 May 2026
Gustavo Pasqueta

International Relations Middle East

Chequebook Diplomacy in the Age of Militarism

This article argues that recent U.S.–Israel military actions against Iran have exposed the decline of the United States as the dominant security guarantor in West Asia and accelerated a shift toward regional autonomy. It shows how Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, responded with strategic restraint while leveraging economic power, alternative alliances, and subtle deterrence to shape outcomes without direct military escalation. Ultimately, it contends that power in the region is being redefined through geoeconomic influence and multipolar diplomacy rather than traditional military dominance.

01 May 2026
Obaidurrahman Mirsab

Politics and Society Middle East

Digital Campaigning and Electoral Influence: A Case Study of Political Marketing Movements in Pakistan’s 2024 General Elections

This article looks at how Pakistan's 2024 General Elections were shaped by a new digital playbook, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. It traces the tools PTI used to mobilize voters and work around state-imposed media restrictions: record-breaking Twitter Spaces, an AI-cloned voice of jailed leader Imran Khan delivering speeches at virtual rallies, a Facebook chatbot that helped voters find the party's reassigned election symbol, a verified WhatsApp Channel, and widespread VPN use to bypass internet shutdowns. The article then sets the Pakistani case alongside Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Myanmar, asking whether digitally mediated campaigning strengthens electoral participation in emerging democracies, or whether the costs (misinformation, deepfakes, uneven internet access) outweigh the gains.

27 Apr 2026
Muhammad Younus

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Fractured Soul in Jerebuu: A Social Critique from the Nation’s Edge

This article examines the tragic death of a child in Jerebuu as a lens to expose deep structural inequalities in Indonesia. Through a field-based narrative, it highlights how poverty, weak infrastructure, limited education access, and administrative exclusion intersect to shape vulnerability in peripheral regions. Drawing on the concept of Johan Galtung’s structural violence, the piece argues that the tragedy reflects systemic neglect and calls for urgent, equitable reforms in education and governance.

24 Apr 2026
Fithri Dzakiyyah...

International Relations Africa

Türkiye’s Africa Initiative: Can a ‘Third Way’ Really Work?

This article examines Türkiye’s evolving "Third Way" in Africa, an autonomous strategic model that seeks to offer an alternative to Western liberal prescriptions and the transactional models of China and Russia. It evaluates Ankara’s transition from a diplomatic opening to a "strategic architecture" in 2025, integrating defense technology, maritime energy diplomacy (Mavi Vatan), and humanitarian outreach. By focusing on state-building and local agency, the text questions whether this Afro-Eurasian partnership genuinely expands African strategic autonomy or risks creating new forms of dependency.

20 Apr 2026
Mehmet Furkan...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

The Strategic Autonomy of Invisible Indonesia

This article critically examines Indonesia’s evolving role from a quiet diplomat to a "status-affirming" middle power through its policy of proactive hedging. This article evaluates Jakarta’s participation in the Board of Peace (BoP) and its strategic balancing between major powers like the US, China, and Russia. By advocating for a "Bandung Plus" model, the text argues that a coalition of middle powers from both the Global South and North is essential to restrain major-power conflict and secure strategic autonomy in a post-US multipolar world.

17 Apr 2026
Ararat Kostanian

International Relations South and Central Asia

The Islamabad Moment: When Pakistan Became a Bridge in a Fragmented World Order

This article provides a firsthand account of how Pakistan emerged as a key mediator in the U.S.–Iran crisis, facilitating a temporary ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It highlights Islamabad’s role as a trusted diplomatic bridge through backchannel negotiations. While talks ultimately fell short of a lasting agreement and tensions escalated with a U.S. blockade, the piece argues that Pakistan’s intervention has reshaped its global standing as an effective crisis mediator.

13 Apr 2026
Farwa Imtiaz

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Where Is the Collective Solidarity? ASEAN on Hold at the Strait of Hormuz: Prabowo-Anwar’s Bilateral Geopolitics and the Erosion of Regional Unity

This article examines how disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz expose the limits of ASEAN’s collective security role. While Southeast Asian economies remain highly dependent on Hormuz-bound energy flows, responses have been dominated by bilateral diplomacy rather than coordinated regional action. The piece argues that ASEAN’s weak institutional capacity and fragmented approach undermine its credibility, calling for stronger mechanisms to address energy security and strategic chokepoints through genuine regional solidarity.

10 Apr 2026
Nani Septianie

Environment and Sustainability Africa

Kotu /Manjai Ward: Kanifing Municipality during the Rainy Season

This article analyzes climate vulnerability across Economic Community of West African States, focusing on The Gambia as a highly exposed case. It highlights how coastal erosion, water insecurity, and climate-sensitive livelihoods intensify economic, social, and political risks. Despite policy progress, gaps in implementation and governance persist. The piece argues that strengthening regional cooperation, adaptive capacity, and climate financing is essential to build resilience and ensure sustainable development in The Gambia and the broader ECOWAS region.

06 Apr 2026
Ngange Jeng

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

The Price of Being in the Room: Indonesia and the Power Politics of Gaza’s Day After

This article examines Indonesia’s participation in the Board of Peace and argues that contemporary peacebuilding is shifting from political negotiation toward managerial governance. In Gaza, this model risks prioritizing efficiency over legitimacy and sidelining political representation. The piece explores Indonesia’s dilemma between moral commitment to Palestine and strategic engagement, emphasizing that its role must extend beyond symbolic presence to ensure accountability, protect civilian interests, and support a credible transition toward inclusive and legitimate political authority.

03 Apr 2026
Aniello Iannone

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

What CK Hutchison told us in Panama Case?

This article examines what the attempted sale of CK Hutchison's Panama Canal ports to BlackRock reveals about the boundaries between business logic and state power amid US-China rivalry. Reconstructing Hutchison's divestment rationale across portfolio strategy, market timing, and geopolitical risk mitigation, it then analyzes Beijing's forceful intervention. The article argues that the Panama case is a structural signal: commercial neutrality for Hong Kong conglomerates is increasingly contingent on political alignment, with consequences for investors and policymakers navigating the new infrastructure politics.

30 Mar 2026
Wallace Loo

International Relations South and Central Asia

Kundankulam Nuclear Power Reactor: A Testimony of Strong Indo-Russian Bond

This article examines the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant as a flagship project of civil nuclear cooperation between India and Russia, combining diplomatic alignment with advanced VVER-1000 reactor technology to strengthen energy security. It traces the project’s historical evolution, operational challenges, and recent progress, highlighting improved efficiency, sustained Russian support through Rosatom, and renewed momentum after the 2025 bilateral summit. The article concludes that KNPP represents a resilient model of strategic partnership, contributing to India’s long-term clean energy and nuclear expansion goals.

27 Mar 2026
Lakshmi Karlekar

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Poverty Alleviation in Kebumen Regency, Central Java: Collaboration, Empowerment, and Infrastructure

This article examines poverty alleviation efforts in Kebumen Regency, Central Java, through the lens of collaboration, empowerment, and infrastructure. Drawing on 2025 data from the Central Statistics Agency, it situates Kebumen's poverty rate of 13.58 percent within broader provincial and national trends, highlighting both the progress made since the COVID-19 peak in 2021 and the structural challenges that remain. By comparing Kebumen with neighboring regencies Banyumas and Cilacap, the article identifies key gaps rooted in agrarian economic dependence and limited diversification.

23 Mar 2026
Kaamiliaa Dewi

International Relations South and Central Asia

Nepal in India’s Neighborhood and the Indo Pacific

This article examines Nepal’s strategic position within the Indo-Pacific and argues that its economic transformation depends on targeted regional cooperation. Focusing on energy trade, connectivity, and manufacturing, it highlights how stronger bilateral ties with India and subregional frameworks can help Nepal shift from a landlocked to a land-linked economy. The piece emphasizes practical partnerships as key to enhancing Nepal’s role in regional development and integration.

20 Mar 2026
Angana Guha...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

From Bosnia to the Board of Peace: Moral Signaling and Islamic Legitimacy in Indonesian Foreign Policy

This article analyzes Indonesia's participation in the US-led Board of Peace (BoP) through a historical lens, comparing President Prabowo’s stance on Gaza with Suharto’s response to the Bosnian War. It can be argued that Islamic solidarity serves as a strategic tool for "moral signaling" and domestic legitimacy rather than a purely ideological shift. By balancing international trade relations with internal religious expectations, Indonesia maintains a realist foreign policy while positioning itself as a key middle-power mediator.

16 Mar 2026
Tufan Kutay...

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Free Meals, Missing Books: The Cost of Misaligned Policy in Indonesia

This article critically examines Indonesia’s Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme, arguing that ambitious welfare policies can fall short when they misidentify the core problem they aim to solve. While the policy prioritizes nutrition to improve educational outcomes, the piece highlights how other forms of deprivation such as the inability to afford basic learning materials, remain overlooked. Using a recent tragedy in East Nusa Tenggara as a lens, the article calls for more precise problem identification in education policy to address the full reality of poverty faced by vulnerable students.

13 Mar 2026
Wahyu Wulandari

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

The Laughter of Resistance: Context Collapse, Political Literacy, and the Psychology of Efficacy in Pandji Pragiwaksono’s Mens Rea

This article examines the socio-political impact of Pandji Pragiwaksono’s stand-up special, Mens Rea. It analyzes how comedy serves as a potent tool for political education in Indonesia, transforming public resentment into engagement. By exploring the "Netflix Effect" and context collapse, the text explains why sharp satire often rattles the political elite. Ultimately, it argues that laughing at power restores internal political efficacy, empowering citizens to move from passive observers to active participants in a living democracy.

09 Mar 2026
Moch Dimas...

Environment and Sustainability South and Central Asia

Loud Voices, Quiet Wisdom: Why Gen Z and Boomers Need Each Other in the Climate Crisis

This article argues that addressing climate change in the Global South requires cooperation between generations rather than conflict. Gen Z brings urgency, digital activism, and public mobilization, while older generations contribute lived experience, historical memory, and practical knowledge of institutions and environmental change. By combining youthful energy with elder wisdom (speed with strategy, data with memory) climate action can become more effective and sustainable. The piece ultimately calls for intergenerational solidarity as a necessary foundation for meaningful and lasting climate solutions.

06 Mar 2026
Sahar Manzoor

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Forging ASEAN 2025: A Critical Analysis of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration

This article critically examines the ASEAN 2025 vision and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration’s focus on the labor economy. Despite a significant demographic advantage, the region faces hurdles in human capital development and skills mismatches. Paul Anthony S. Balagtas evaluates these strategic gaps, proposing a more integrated, education-focused roadmap. By drawing comparisons to the EU’s social market model, the text argues for urgent policy shifts to ensure Southeast Asia’s long-term economic resilience and global competitiveness.

02 Mar 2026
Paul Anthony...

History East Asia and the Pacific

La Galigo and Blue Pacific: Maritime Solidarity from the Archipelago to the Pacific

This article reinterprets the contemporary “Blue Pacific” concept through La Galigo, the Bugis-Makassar epic that views the sea as a space of spirituality, balance, and solidarity rather than geopolitical rivalry. It argues that Austronesian maritime traditions and values such as ade, siri, and pacce provide an ethical foundation for Pacific regionalism rooted in dignity and reciprocity. By linking these traditions to the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy, the piece proposes a decolonial archipelago–Pacific solidarity beyond great-power competition.

27 Feb 2026
Bobyano Dolyamano...

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Are Men Consistently Neglecting Gender Issues in Current Indonesian Politics?

This article examines the persistent "political masculinity" in Indonesia, 41 years after the ratification of CEDAW. Despite a mandated 30% quota for female legislative candidates, the text highlights a stark disconnect between legal ideals and the reality of 305 discriminatory local regulations. Through insights from local representatives and the trailblazing Bunda Mayora, Indonesia’s first trans woman in public office, the article argues that gender balance requires more than just numerical representation. It demands a fundamental shift in political culture, capacity building, and the dismantling of patriarchal dynasties to achieve true gender and ecological justice.

23 Feb 2026
Fanny Syariful...

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

The Emergence and Transformation of Islamic Political Parties in Indonesia: Organizational Dynamics, Electoral Challenges, and Theoretical Perspectives

This article examines why Islamic political parties in Indonesia remain electorally weak despite the country’s Muslim majority. It argues that fragmentation, cartelization, and dependence on state resources have eroded their ideological clarity and weakened their link to civil society. Drawing on theories of pluralism, consociational democracy, and party competition, the article contends that Islamic parties face an identity crisis and must reform organizationally and strategically to regain credibility and electoral relevance.

20 Feb 2026
Muhammad Aqshadigrama

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Indonesia’s 2026 UN Human Rights Council Presidency: a bebas-aktif status bet with domestic reputational costs

This article analyzes Indonesia’s 2026 presidency of the UN Human Rights Council as a strategic middle-power move rather than a symbolic moral endorsement. It argues that procedural leadership offers Indonesia reputational leverage in a fragmented global order, consistent with its bebas-aktif tradition. However, the presidency also creates a “two-level legitimacy dilemma,” as domestic governance debates, particularly around the new criminal code, intersect with heightened international scrutiny, testing Indonesia’s credibility as a steward of global human rights governance.

16 Feb 2026
Aniello Iannone

International Relations South and Central Asia

The Stateless of Tomorrow: Why the World Must Recognise Climate Refugees

This article highlights the urgent need for international legal recognition of "climate refugees". Individuals displaced by environmental disasters and long-term climate degradation. It critiques the 1951 UN Refugee Convention for its narrow focus on persecution, which leaves millions of climate-displaced people in a "global governance gap" without legal protection or status. By examining the cascading effects of climate change in the Global South, the text argues for legal reform and increased financial accountability from developed nations to manage migration with dignity and prevent a future humanitarian crisis.

13 Feb 2026
Arisha Parvez

International Relations South and Central Asia

Under Sea Cables: Veiled Threats in Hybrid Warfare

This article examines undersea cables as a critical yet vulnerable backbone of global digital connectivity, increasingly targeted within grey-zone and hybrid warfare. It explores how geopolitical rivalries are reshaping submarine cable routes, investments, and security strategies, with special attention to the Baltic region, the Indo-Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. Focusing on India’s growing centrality in global data superhighways, the article highlights multi-pronged risks, regulatory gaps, and the urgent need for coordinated international, public-private, and multilateral governance frameworks to protect undersea infrastructure amid intensifying strategic competition.

09 Feb 2026
Angana Guha...

Environment and Sustainability South and Central Asia

Disaster, Climate Change, and Public Budget

This article examines Indonesia’s transition from reactive emergency disaster spending to a structural, climate-responsive fiscal framework. It argues that with disasters becoming a "budgetary force majeure," the state must move beyond simple "on-call" reserves toward Climate-Responsive Budgeting (CRB) and Climate Budget Tagging (CBT). By analyzing the roles of the BNPB and the Audit Board (BPK), the text highlights how transparency, independent oversight, and citizen participation are no longer just administrative goals, but essential components for maintaining public trust and national resilience.

06 Feb 2026
Hadi Prayitno

Thinkers East Asia and the Pacific

Beyond GDP: Why Sumatra’s Disasters Demand a New Measure of Progress

This article argues that recurring disasters in Sumatra expose the limits of GDP as a measure of development. By linking floods, fires, and landslides to extractive growth models that ignore ecological degradation, it shows how economic “progress” can mask rising vulnerability and social costs. Drawing on political economy, ethics, and alternative development metrics, the article calls for moving beyond GDP toward greener and more inclusive measures of prosperity that account for nature, justice, and long-term resilience across the Global South.

02 Feb 2026
M Nadzirummubin

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Nourish Children, Nourish Citizenship Will the Free-Meals Program Teach Democracy?

This article examines the global rise of school meal programs, specifically analyzing Indonesia’s newly launched Free Nutritious Meal Program (Makan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) beyond its nutritional goals. Drawing on policy feedback theory, it argues that these programs function as "unintended" instruments of political education and "civic classrooms." Aldi and Ashari emphasize the quality of implementation, ranging from transparency to food safety, directly shapes the youth's trust in the state and their future political efficacy. The article reminds that while successful delivery can foster a critical, active citizenry, systemic failures may breed a generation of political skepticism and apathy.

30 Jan 2026
Aldi Nur...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Apple Developer Academy in South Sulawesi: Global South Digital Transformation Opportunities in the Midst of Global Technology Inequality

This article examines the Apple Developer Academy in South Sulawesi as a strategic intervention in addressing digital inequality across the Global South. It situates the program within broader structural gaps in digital access, skills, and infrastructure, arguing that non-state initiatives can help bridge talent deficits where public systems fall short. At the same time, it cautions that meaningful digital transformation requires integration with public policy, digital justice, and local development agendas to avoid reproducing new forms of technological dependence.

26 Jan 2026
Matthew Anggi...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

The New World Order on the Basis of Dynamic Equilibrium and Indonesia's Role as a Middle Power

This article highlights the shifting global structure from a unipolar hegemony to a complex "Multiplex World Order," characterized by intersecting power centers and fragmented global networks. By re-examining the concept of "Dynamic Equilibrium," it analyzes the strategic role of Indonesia as a middle power and the importance of ASEAN centrality in navigating the rivalry between major powers like the US and China. It discovers that traditional adversarial models are insufficient; instead, an adaptive, institutional process is required to manage interdependence and reduce conflict risks. Ultimately, the findings emphasize the urgent need for strengthening the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and implementing multi-level hedging policies to ensure regional stability and common prosperity.

23 Jan 2026
Abdullah Akbar...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

Dhurandhar and the Politics of Bollywood Propaganda

This article examines Dhurandhar not merely as a commercial Bollywood spy thriller, but as a cultural artifact that reflects the growing entanglement between popular cinema and nationalist ideology in South Asia. It argues that the film simplifies complex geopolitical realities by portraying Pakistan and regions like Balochistan through reductive security narratives, while erasing historical context, counter-terrorism experiences, and civilian realities. By situating the film within recent India–Pakistan tensions, the article highlights how cinematic myth-making risks reinforcing hostility and narrowing the space for dialogue, nuance, and regional coexistence.

19 Jan 2026
Farwa Imtiaz

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Mapping the Digital Economics and Global Trends with the Indonesian Perspective

This article highlight the development of IT that has been influential on trade and economic interaction, which reshape social dynamics. By employing a mixed-method approach, it analyses relationship between the adoption of digital technology and economic growth in various regions. It discovered that digital divide, both between and within nation, is one of the critical issues in digital economy. Ultimately, the findings emphasize the urgent need for adaptative regulations, robust cybersecurity and inclusive policies. Bridging these gaps is essential for fostering sustainable, competitive and equitable global economic development

16 Jan 2026
Kaamiliaa Dewi

Thinkers South and Central Asia

Honouring the Indian Revolutionary Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak: Impact on Feminist Identity Discourse

This article explores Spivak's contribution to political and intellectual legacy. It draws attention to a number of concepts developed and used by Spivak like strategic essentialism, subalternity, and planetarity to see how these help her to resist determinate and essentialized versions of identity politics, by highlighting the responsibility implied by the critical representation of others. The article also discusses Spivak's critique of Western feminism, globalization and an essentialist reading of the Subaltern Studies school, and the need to think through a more encompassing, ethical, and culture-sensitive feminist politics.

12 Jan 2026
M.J. Vinod

Environment and Sustainability Africa

When Peace Becomes a Supply Chain: The DRC - Rwanda Deal and the Politics of Critical Minerals for a Clean Future

This article examines the DRC–Rwanda peace accord through the lens of critical mineral politics, arguing that diplomacy framed as conflict resolution is increasingly intertwined with global competition for green energy resources. It shows how the push for cobalt and copper risks reproducing extractive inequalities, sidelining local communities and justice in the name of climate transition. The piece questions whether “green peace” can be sustainable when stability is pursued without accountability, reparations, or inclusive resource governance.

09 Jan 2026
Muhammad Ibrahim...

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

Post-Flood Food Price Spikes and Economic Vulnerability: A Case Study of Padang, West Sumatra

This article offers a comparative reflection on how Islam has historically engaged with indigenous worlds, challenging colonial and reformist assumptions that portray non-Arab Islam as derivative or superficial. By placing Bedouin indigeneity and Malay cosmology in dialogue, the author shows that Islam does not erase local traditions but reshapes them through ongoing processes of negotiation, reinterpretation, and ethical reorientation. Drawing on Qur’anic discourse, classical thought, and postcolonial scholarship, the essay reframes indigeneity as a dynamic medium through which Islam becomes locally grounded.

07 Jan 2026
Bala Muhammad...

History East Asia and the Pacific

Islam and the Colonial Imaginations of Indigeneity: A Comparative Reflection

05 Jan 2026
Auf A....

International Relations Middle East

Gaza Between Trial and Promise: A World’s Crisis of Conscience

This article explores Gaza’s devastation as both a humanitarian tragedy and a global moral crisis, rooted in decades of displacement and recurring violence. It highlights a fragile opening for peace driven by renewed diplomacy, growing international recognition of Palestine, and the strategic restraint of Gulf states. While emphasizing hope and nonviolent statecraft, the article warns that unresolved challenges, security guarantees, governance, and political legitimacy, threaten to derail progress, risking a return to prolonged conflict if global commitment falters.

02 Jan 2026
Obaidurrahman Mirsab

Environment and Sustainability South and Central Asia

Circular Economy: A lifestyle not just Economic concept

This article examines how youth-led, digitally networked movements are reshaping protest politics in South Asia, focusing on recent cases in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It argues that unlike earlier party-driven and ideologically structured movements, contemporary protests are decentralized, leaderless, and rapidly mobilized through social media, enabling broad participation but limiting long-term sustainability and policy impact. The article concludes that while digital activism amplifies dissent and challenges entrenched elites, lasting transformation depends on translating spontaneous mobilization into institutionalized leadership, governance reform, and inclusive political pathways.

31 Dec 2025
Muhammad Atif...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

From Bans to Business: How Afghan Women Use Social Commerce to Survive in 2025

This article explores how Afghan women are using social commerce as a survival strategy amid sweeping bans on education and formal employment. Drawing on original interviews and recent UN and media reports, it shows how digital platforms enable women to sustain households, reclaim dignity, and quietly resist exclusion. The piece situates these individual stories within Afghanistan’s broader economic collapse, arguing that women’s online entrepreneurship is not charity-driven resilience but a critical, if fragile, pillar of survival and economic continuity.

29 Dec 2025
Ziyada Hafizi

Environment and Sustainability South and Central Asia

Mountain Forests as Water Guardians: Addressing Climate-Induced Drought in Central Afghanistan

This article examines why forest-based approaches remain critical for addressing climate vulnerability and water insecurity despite weak governance and ongoing climatic stress. It argues that reforestation and watershed restoration offer locally grounded, low-cost solutions that function even where centralized institutions and large-scale infrastructure fail. By linking ecological resilience with community stewardship, the article reframes forests as a foundational survival strategy rather than a secondary environmental concern.

26 Dec 2025
Asef Jafari

Business and Economy South and Central Asia

Critical Mineral Smuggling Finance Illegal Armed Conflict in Global South

This article examines how the illicit smuggling of critical minerals has become a major source of financing for illegal armed groups across the Global South, undermining governance, environmental protection, and human security. Focusing on Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, it traces how weak institutions, porous borders, and global supply chain pressures enable criminal networks and insurgent groups to exploit mineral wealth. The article concludes by assessing emerging international regulatory frameworks and cooperative mechanisms aimed at strengthening transparency, traceability, and accountability in critical mineral supply chains.

24 Dec 2025
Angana Guha...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

How Youth and Digital Networks Are Transforming Movements in South Asia

22 Dec 2025
Muhammad Aquib

Business and Economy East Asia and the Pacific

Poverty and Uneven Development in the Philippines: Understanding a National Crisis Through Local Realities

This article argues that poverty and uneven development in the Philippines persist not despite economic growth, but because of structural inequalities rooted in elite capture, weak redistribution, and profit-driven development models. Focusing on Cavite, it illustrates how industrial expansion and urban growth coexist with underemployment, informal settlements, and inadequate services. The article concludes that addressing Philippine poverty requires equity-centered governance, inclusive social investment, and a fundamental rethinking of growth paradigms that place social justice above capital accumulation, not growth alone.

19 Dec 2025
Jonel Ocampo...

History East Asia and the Pacific

The Plundered Philippines: Extraction, Memory, and the Global Logic of Neglect

This article examines how historical plunder in the Global South has evolved into modern systems of economic exploitation rather than disappearing. It shows how colonial extraction was transformed into postcolonial elite capture and global financial dependency. In doing so, it explains why inequality persists and why meaningful reform requires confronting entrenched power structures.

17 Dec 2025
Joellyn Faye...

Business and Economy South and Central Asia

Breaking the Dollar Dilemma: The Global South’s New Fight for Financial Sovereignty

This article explores how the Global South is reevaluating its dependence on the US dollar and pursuing new forms of monetary sovereignty. It examines how digital currencies, regional payment systems, and South–South cooperation are reshaping global finance and challenging long-standing hierarchies. By tracing both the opportunities and the geopolitical risks, the article argues that true financial independence requires more than alternatives to the dollar, it demands structural transformation and collective strategy.

15 Dec 2025
Abdul Akbar

Environment and Sustainability South and Central Asia

Afghanistan’s Exclusion from COP30: A crisis of climate Justice

This article exposes the injustice of Afghanistan’s exclusion from COP30 despite being one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries with almost no responsibility for global emissions. It shows how political non-recognition of the Taliban has effectively silenced millions of Afghans in climate negotiations, blocking access to finance, policy coordination, and global support. Ultimately, the article argues that depoliticizing climate governance is essential to uphold climate justice and ensure no vulnerable nation is left behind.

12 Dec 2025
Sayed Anwar...

International Relations Africa

Selective Justice: How Veto Power Undermines Accountability in Syria

This article examines how the UN Security Council’s veto power has enabled impunity in Syria, exposing a structural flaw in the global justice system. It argues that geopolitical interests, particularly the 2014 Russia-China veto blocking an ICC referral, have transformed justice from a universal principle into a privilege of powerful states. By highlighting the uneven application of international law, the article calls for urgent reforms to limit veto use in cases of mass atrocities and protect the credibility of global governance.

10 Dec 2025
Gilbert Nayigizente

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

Privatizing Faith and Religion: Weighing Freedom, Equality, and Social Peace

This article examines proposals to privatize religion not as neutral policy ideas, but as sweeping interventions that reshape freedom, identity, and public life. It traces how a total ban on public religious expression would clash with international human rights law, risk deep social resentment, and push faith practices into secrecy rather than resolve tensions. In doing so, it questions whether such restrictions can ever foster equality and peace, or whether they ultimately erode pluralism and democratic stability.

08 Dec 2025
Muhammad Younus

Business and Economy East Asia and the Pacific

The Cost of Phasing Out Coal in Indonesia: Who Will Pay?

This article examines the challenging path for Indonesia to meet its net-zero goals given its heavy reliance on coal. The transition involves substantial multidimensional costs, including stranded assets, grid modernization, and funding a just social transition for workers. Ultimately, the article argues that no single entity can bear this financial burden alone, necessitating a shared-cost model involving the Indonesian government, international finance (like the JETP), and the private sector to achieve a credible and equitable phase-out.

05 Dec 2025
Muhammad Ayoub

International Relations South and Central Asia

Can Science Diplomacy Bridge Disagreements?

This article explores the concept of science diplomacy as a tool to bridge diplomatic disagreements and advance shared global interests, highlighting continued cooperation in fields like space exploration despite geopolitical tensions. It analyzes the challenges of utilizing science diplomacy amid global uncertainties and transactional foreign policy, drawing inspiration from historical and current initiatives like CERN and SESAME. The piece emphasizes the increasing importance of science diplomacy for the Global South, noting contributions from countries like India in areas such as resilient infrastructure, health equity, and space programs.

03 Dec 2025
Angana Guha...

History East Asia and the Pacific

Beyond Autonomy: Why Bangsamoro’s Struggle Is Not About Recognition but Reclamation

This article re-examines Bangsamoro autonomy by demonstrating how it functions within the boundaries that maintain the Philippines state authority rather than restoring historical authority. It moves from the region’s precolonial political traditions to a critique of modern constitutional 3arrangements, arguing that autonomy masks instead of resolving the underlying important question of sovereignty. Building on the lens of Resurgencism, the piece concludes that the Bangsamoro struggle is ultimately a project of reclamation that is based in an unbroken moral and historical continuity.

01 Dec 2025
Datu Al-Zahid...

Environment and Sustainability South and Central Asia

When the Storms End, the Struggle Begins: The Emotional Burden of Climate Change on Women in Pakistan

This article highlights the significant emotional and mental health burden that climate change disproportionately places on women in vulnerable communities, particularly in low-income countries like Pakistan. It explains that climatic shocks like floods and droughts intensify women's daily responsibilities like collecting water and managing food, leading to high rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma that often go unaddressed due to lack of access to care and social stigma. The piece calls for an urgent shift in policy to include funded, gender-sensitive mental health support in national climate plans, recognizing that women's emotional well-being is fundamental to the resilience and successful recovery of families and communities

28 Nov 2025
Sahar Manzoor

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Beyond the Mayor: Who is Mamdani, Really?

This article uncovers how the political ascent of Zohran Mamdani cannot be understood without returning to the intellectual shockwave created by his father, Mahmood Mamdani’s Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, written in a moment when challenging the post-9/11 narrative was an act of great personal and scholarly risk. It shows how the father dismantled the binary that divided Muslims into “good” and “bad” through a structural reading of Cold War geopolitics, while the son now deploys the same framework to expose the engineered roots of poverty and inequality in American cities. Through the path of exile, resistance, as well as the unlikely meeting of TikTok and theory, the piece argues that what resembles political charisma, it is actually the inheritance of a tradition built on confronting the systems that moral arguments are designed to hide.

26 Nov 2025
Saemah Shamim

Business and Economy Africa

Between Hope and Hazard: Can Nigeria’s Carbon-Credit Gamble Deliver Wins at Home and Abroad?

This article analyzes Nigeria’s attempt to convert carbon credits into tangible benefits for communities already confronting rising tides and shrinking livelihoods. It shows how the effort sits at the intersection of global demands for high-integrity credits and a complex domestic bargaining arena where oil-state governors, forest communities, regulators, as well as project developers must align or the market will collapse under distrust. It argues that only credible foundations that includes; conservative baselines, digital monitoring, nested REDD+ systems, methane rules, and transparent community agreements can actually turn Nigeria’s climate gamble into a strategic win instead of another broken promise.

24 Nov 2025
Muhammad Ibrahim...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

Sports as a Proxy Tool in Foreign Policy- A Perspective from Asia

This article traces how a tense India-Pakistan cricket game, complete with a no-handshake standoff and political undertones, illustrates how sports tend to bear the burden of unresolved regional disputes. It then proceeded ahead to situate this moment within a longer history of sports diplomacy, from ancient Olympic truces to Cold War ping-pong and iconic Asian mega-events that reshaped national identity and also international outreach. Overall, it shows how sports can serve as very vital platforms that open doors for dialogue even as they risk becoming stages where rivalry, nationalism, as well as strategic messaging collide

21 Nov 2025
Angana Guha...

Business and Economy East Asia and the Pacific

Beyond Numbers: Ensuring Food Safety in Indonesia’s MBG

This article examines how Indonesia’s MBG program, while reaching more than 30 million students, still faces a number of systemic food-safety risks that numbers alone cannot reveal. It reveals how gaps across the entire length supply chain, ranging from hygiene literacy to fragility in cold-chain and storage facilities can gravely compromise the promise of the program, as seen in various local incidents and also global evidence on foodborne disease. It argues that sustainable long term success will require far more stronger implementation, localized networks, coupled with shared responsibility from farmers to policymakers to ensure that every meal is actually very safe.

19 Nov 2025
M. Ikhsan...

Politics and Society Middle East

Pakistan-Saudi Arabia SMDA: A New Chapter of Global South Cooperation

This article explains how the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA), signed just days after the Doha airstrike and in the midst of Riyadh’s fraying defence ties with Washington. It shows how the pact binds Saudi capital to Pakistan’s nuclear-backed military expertise, anchoring joint defence production, research, as well as industrial cooperation through institutions. It argues that this agreement is more than a reaction to regional tension, as it is a very deliberate step in a wider Global South push for strategic autonomy grounded in capability, sovereignty, and postcolonial self-determination.

17 Nov 2025
Farrel Ananda...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

Resisting Erasure: Afghan Women’s Struggle for Education and Agency in Post-2021 Afghanistan

This article examines how Afghan women have transformed the struggle for education into a powerful form of intellectual, digital, and moral resistance under Taliban rule since 2021. Moving beyond narratives of victimhood, it highlights the emergence of clandestine study circles, online universities, and transnational learning networks that sustain women’s knowledge production despite systemic erasure. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s “education as liberation” and feminist theories of agency, the paper argues that Afghan women are rebuilding education as a collective, political, and emancipatory project, creating a digital underground of learning that challenges both authoritarian repression and the limitations of global institutional responses.

14 Nov 2025
Farahnaz Amini

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Restructuring the Post-Conflict Future: Special Autonomy as a Path to Decolonization and Prosperity in Aceh and Bangsamoro

This article explores how special autonomy in Aceh and Bangsamoro serves as both a peacebuilding mechanism and a pathway toward sustainable decolonization in post-conflict Southeast Asia. It argues that autonomy, when rooted in cultural recognition, inclusive governance, and local empowerment, enables these regions to transform histories of marginalization into foundations for development and justice. Drawing from the experiences of Aceh’s institutional reforms and Bangsamoro’s ongoing political consolidation, the article highlights how local and international collaboration can strengthen post-conflict reconstruction and long-term peace.

12 Nov 2025
Syarifah Huswatun...

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

“Code Green” Public Policy to Implement Zero Emissions and Decrease Climate Change in West Java Province

This article defines Code Green as a model of public policy that incorporates the principles of the emergency-response into climate governance. It strongly demonstrates how the integration of climate data, local planning, and community participation can accelerate an equitable transition toward zero emissions, using West Java as well as Indonesia as a case study. By linking urgency with justice, it shows how environmental policy can move from symbolic pledges to a very highly coordinated, system-wide action.

10 Nov 2025
Kusdarmawan Nur...

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Exclusion as Harmony: The Governance of Bodies in Malaysia

This article examines how Malaysia’s political economy sustains social harmony through exclusion, particularly by regulating race, religion, and gender. It argues that the state’s dual legal and moral framework criminalises and marginalises migrant and non-Malay women in the hidden economy while simultaneously subjecting Malay-Muslim women to moral surveillance under the guise of protection. Through this dynamic, exclusion becomes a tool of governance—preserving the illusion of order while reinforcing structural hierarchies of patriarchy, race, and religion.

07 Nov 2025
Nur Hadirah...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

Innovation and the Invisibilisation of Gender: What the Global Innovation Index Misses?

This article critiques the Global Innovation Index (GII) for overlooking gendered dimensions of innovation, particularly in the Global South. It argues that the GII’s reliance on formal metrics like patents and corporate R&D obscures women’s contributions, undervalues informal and social innovation, and distorts policy priorities in Southeast Asia. By calling for gender-disaggregated data, broader definitions of innovation, and inclusive institutional reforms, the article makes a strong case for rethinking how innovation is measured to reflect the full spectrum of creative labour sustaining equitable development.

05 Nov 2025
Priyanka Garodia

International Relations Africa

Displaced in Their Own Land: The Politics of Humanitarian Aid in Sudan

This article examines how the global silence over Sudan’s humanitarian crisis reveals enduring hierarchies of compassion within the international system. It argues that humanitarian responses remain shaped by historical legacies and geopolitical interests, where some crises are amplified while others are conveniently ignored. By unpacking this selective morality, the article calls for rethinking global solidarity that recognises all lives as equally grievable.

03 Nov 2025
Syeda Dur-e-Nayab

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Artificial Intelligence and Geopolitical Uncertainty: The Indonesian View

This article examines the way artificial intelligence is transforming global power through the intertwined forces of technology, resource control, and governance. It looks at Indonesia’s efforts to significantly transform its mineral strength into strategic influence in the midst of an escalating U.S - China technological rivalry. The analysis also expands to ASEAN, where questions of sovereignty, inequality, and regional alignment define Southeast Asia’s evolving place and future in the AI-driven world.

31 Oct 2025
Affabile Rifawan

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

ASEAN Neutrality in the Age of Naked Imperialism

This article reexamines the meaning of ASEAN neutrality in light of renewed global imperial rivalries, urging a return to the anti-colonial and anti-imperial spirit of the 1955 Bandung Conference. It argues that ASEAN’s shift from neutrality as autonomy to neutrality as impartiality has rendered the region complicit in sustaining colonial legacies and internal oppression. Calling for a decolonial reinterpretation of neutrality, the author contends that true regional autonomy must align with struggles for liberation and self-determination across Southeast Asia.

29 Oct 2025
Christopher Choong...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Kuala Lumpur 2025: ASEAN Between Renewed Centrality and Structural Fragility

This article analyzes the geopolitical and institutional significance of the 2025 ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. It explores how the simultaneous participation of the United States and China, alongside Timor Leste’s long-awaited accession, exposes ASEAN’s struggle to balance autonomy, inclusivity, and effectiveness amid intensifying great-power rivalry. Ultimately, the piece argues that the summit will serve as a test of whether ASEAN can transform its symbolic centrality into real strategic agency—or remain a passive stage for others’ power plays.

27 Oct 2025
Aniello Iannone

International Relations South and Central Asia

Deepfake: Disinformation by Design

This article examines how deepfakes have evolved from isolated digital hoaxes into instruments of political as well as geopolitical manipulation. It traces their spread across Asia’s election cycles and security flashpoints, revealing how AI now shapes narratives as effectively as policy. The piece also explores emerging legal, regional, and technological efforts to build collective “trust infrastructure” against this new form of information warfare.

24 Oct 2025
Angana Guha...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Scepticism in the Global South and Contestation over the Humanitarian Norm: The Responsibility to Protect

This article critically examines the evolving contestation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) norm within the Global South, highlighting how postcolonial experiences and sovereignty concerns shape scepticism toward humanitarian intervention. It traces the historical development of R2P, from its UN endorsement in 2005 to its erosion following the NATO-led intervention in Libya, which blurred the boundary between protection and regime change. Through the perspectives of African states, India, China, Brazil, and Mexico, the article reveals how divergent interpretations and geopolitical interests have constrained the norm’s operationalization, challenging its legitimacy and future relevance in global governance.

22 Oct 2025
Antony Joseph

International Relations Middle East

The Gulf Future and Fracture Region Institution

This article contends that Trump’s high-value diplomacy in the Gulf reignited both economic opportunity as well as institutional fragility within the GCC. As Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE deepen their ties with Washington while maneuvering themselves around Beijing, the region’s unity is increasingly defined by competition instead of more cooperation. The analysis reveals that the Gulf’s future hinges on whether its leaders can strongly transform transactional alliances into a sustainable framework for collective stability.

20 Oct 2025
Alwi Akbar

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

The Promise of EU-ASEAN Partnership as a Pathway for the Global South

This article examines how the EU-ASEAN partnership has significantly evolved from routine diplomacy to a field where climate goals, industrial needs, as well as digital ambitions are constantly negotiated. It depicts how cooperation built on friction between Europe’s green standards and Southeast Asia’s developmental urgency can still produce innovation and trust. The piece argued that, collectively, these dynamics reveal a quiet transformation in which the Global South no longer absorbs global rules but instead, participates in rewriting them.

17 Oct 2025
Jason Fernando

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Prabowo’s Foreign Policy Choices: Balancing Domestic Legitimacy and Global Ambition

This article examines how President Prabowo Subianto seeks to combine Indonesia’s traditional bebas-aktif (free and active) doctrine with a renewed emphasis on hard power and global visibility. It highlights how Prabowo’s military background and strategic partnerships, particularly with Türkiye and BRICS, reflect a more assertive and pragmatic approach to foreign policy. Ultimately, the piece argues that Prabowo’s diplomacy aims to strengthen Indonesia’s global stature while maintaining domestic legitimacy and a delicate balance between independence and alignment.

15 Oct 2025
Tufan Kutay...

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

China, ASEAN, and Indonesia's Green Test

This article analyzes how China’s ambitious green transition serves not only environmental goals but also a strategic industrial and geopolitical agenda. It shows how Beijing’s dominance in clean energy technologies and supply chains is reshaping Southeast Asia’s energy landscape, fostering both opportunities and technological dependencies. The author warns that for ASEAN countries like Indonesia, the success of the green transition will depend less on foreign investment and more on domestic institutional capacity, technological sovereignty, and policy coordination.

13 Oct 2025
Virdika Rizky...

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

Divided Climate Diplomacy: Trump's Rejection vs. Prabowo's Responsibility in the Climate Crisis at the UN General Assembly

This article traces how the 2025 UN General Assembly turned into a test of climate responsibility, when Donald Trump’s dismissal of the crisis collided with Prabowo Subianto’s call for moral action. It looks critically at Indonesia’s bid to turn pledges into policy building renewables and restoring forests while also still trapped in coal dependence as well as uneven governance. The article argued that the climate debate unfolds as a struggle over justice itself: who bears the cost, who reaps the gains, and also whose promises decide the planet’s fate.

10 Oct 2025
Abdullah Akbar...

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

All Eyes on Indonesia and Nepal: The Multi-Actor Relations in the Political Battleground

This article examines how technology has become a highly contested field of power in Indonesia and Nepal, where states, platforms, as well as citizens struggle to define control and legitimacy. By analysing Indonesia’s attempts to discipline digital dissent and Nepal’s experiments with online political participation, it reveals how technological spaces are increasingly blurring the boundaries between governance at one end and resistance on the other. In doing so, the article illustrates that political authority today is not only demonstrated in parliaments or streets, but it is also being negotiated in the invisible digital codes and infrastructures that shape public life.

08 Oct 2025
Ahmad Fajar...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Prabowo at the UN: Between Anti-Imperialism and Global Interdependence

This article takes a look at how Prabowo’s UN address revived Indonesia’s anti-imperialist ideals on the global stage even as it revealed the contradictions shaping its diplomacy. Behind calls for Palestinian justice lie expanding trade links with Israel, exposing the uneasy coexistence of moral identity and economic need. The article situates this paradox within Indonesia’s larger struggle to balance its legacy of Palestine solidarity with the realities of today's world and global interdependence.

06 Oct 2025
Aniello Iannone

Politics and Society East Asia and the Pacific

Islam, Politics, and Pancasila: In Search of National Harmony

This article takes a deep dive into Indonesia’s evolving struggle in trying to balance Islam’s moral force with its Pancasila’s civic ideals. It follows the country’s shifting democratic models from independence to the reform era, depicting how religion and politics continually negotiate influence through law, culture, as well as leadership in Indonesia. The piece strongly argues that Indonesia’s stability depends not on separating faith from governance, but on harmonizing them within a mutually shared ethical and national vision.

03 Oct 2025
Muhammad Adib...

International Relations Middle East

Gulf Power Play: Diplomacy, Development, and the Middle East in 2025

This article explores how Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have emerged in 2025 as influential global players, reshaping narratives that once confined the Middle East to instability and dependence on oil. It highlights Saudi Arabia’s growing diplomatic assertiveness through Vision 2030 reforms, mediation efforts, and bold foreign policy moves, alongside Qatar’s strategic role as a mediator in regional and global conflicts. Together, their actions signal a new era where the Gulf is not just reacting to global events but actively shaping economic, diplomatic, and security outcomes for the wider world.

01 Oct 2025
Obaidurrahman Mirsab

International Relations South and Central Asia

Armenia’s Proactive Hedging Strategy

This article examines Armenia’s blocked bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) by Pakistan, despite recently opening diplomatic ties, a contradiction that exposes the fragility of regional politics. It depicts how external pressures and entrenched rivalries still continue to limit Yerevan’s ability to leverage its strong strategic position. The article proposes Proactive Hedging as a highly promising framework that could help a lot in expanding Armenia’s partnerships and asserting greater agency in Eurasia.

29 Sep 2025
Ararat Kostanian

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

Can Ecological Fiscal Transfers Transform Indonesia’s Environmental Finance? Possibilities and Policy Insights

This article looks at how Indonesia’s provinces with extensive biodiversity face very heavy conservation costs but yet receive little fiscal support under the current transfer system. It introduces Ecological Fiscal Transfers (EFT) as a highly innovative way to help correct this significant imbalance by tying central government funding to ecological indicators such as protected areas. By doing so, the piece argues that, EFT could fairly compensate local governments, incentivize conservation, and at the same time align fiscal policy with Indonesia’s environmental goals despite challenges of data and political buy-in.

26 Sep 2025
Esa Bayu...

Politics and Society South and Central Asia

The Generation That wouldn’t wait: How Nepal’s Gen Z Redefined Protest Politics

This article examines how Nepal’s Generation Z transformed a government-imposed social media ban into a nationwide movement for accountability, inclusion, and democratic renewal. It highlights how young people redefined the role of student unions, reframed internet freedom as a political right, and linked digital access to broader issues like corruption, gender equity, and minority rights. The essay argues that while the protests carried risks of disruption, they represent a generational shift in Nepal’s political culture, pushing the country toward transparency and institutional reform.

24 Sep 2025
Saemah Shamim

Environment and Sustainability East Asia and the Pacific

The Small Island Crisis: The Interplay between Climate Change and Privatization in Pari Island

This article examines how climate change and privatization intersect to create crises for small islands in Indonesia, with Pari Island serving as a key case study. It shows how rising seas, restricted access to fishing grounds, and land disputes with private companies have undermined local livelihoods and worsened community vulnerability. The piece argues for inclusive governance that empowers local residents in decision-making to balance conservation, food security, and sustainable development.

22 Sep 2025
Gigih Prihantono

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

Indonesia’s New Ballistic Missile: Why It Won’t Ignite an Arms Race

This article examines Indonesia’s recent acquisition of the Turkish-made KHAN short-range ballistic missile and addresses concerns that it could trigger an arms race in Southeast Asia. While the missile marks a notable step in Indonesia’s defense modernization, its range and capabilities remain limited, and its deployment in East Kalimantan signals a defensive posture rather than offensive intent. The piece argues that alarmist narratives exaggerate the threat, stressing that transparency and defense diplomacy are key to maintaining regional trust and stability.

19 Sep 2025
Yusya' A...

International Relations East Asia and the Pacific

The Axis of Upheaval: How U.S. Tariffs Backfire

This article explores how U.S. tariffs, intended to strengthen leverage and protect domestic industries, are instead fueling geopolitical realignments and strengthening rival blocs. It shows how Washington’s economic nationalism is alienating key partners like India while accelerating cooperation among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The piece argues that unless U.S. policy recalibrates, tariffs risk isolating Washington and reinforcing the very “axis of upheaval” it seeks to contain.

17 Sep 2025
Obaidurrahman Mirsab

International Relations South and Central Asia

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Women’s Rights in Afghanistan After 2021: Between Humanitarianism and Gender Silence

This article explores how the OIC, despite its authority to challenge the Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women, has confined its response to food aid and cautious diplomacy. By prioritizing relief over rights, the organization has left Afghan women without allies in their struggle. The silence also exposes the OIC’s deeper crisis of credibility as the widely proclaimed “collective voice of the Muslim world.

15 Sep 2025
Farahnaz Amini

Thinkers East Asia and the Pacific

Nusantara IKN: Green Promises, Grey Reality

This article critically examines Indonesia’s new capital project, IKN, which is promoted as a futuristic “forest city” built on principles of sustainability. While the government promises vast green spaces and smart-city technologies, the reality involves deforestation, biodiversity loss, and displacement of Indigenous communities. It argues that IKN’s green narrative amounts to political greenwashing, masking environmental damage and social injustice.