Constructively Critiquing Indonesia’s Peace Plan

Constructively Critiquing Indonesia’s Peace Plan

On the surface, this is a balanced and well-intended effort to end the fighting, though it’s politically unviable since neither side has a reason to make the requisite compromises. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto shared his country’s peace plan for ending the NATO-Russian proxy war in Ukraine while speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting in…

The Price of Solidarity: Palestine, Indonesia and the Entitlement of Western “Human Rights” Activism

The Price of Solidarity: Palestine, Indonesia and the Entitlement of Western “Human Rights” Activism

Some readers were unimpressed when I excitedly shared the news on social media that Indonesia had refused to host the Israeli team as part of the Under-20 World Cup,  scheduled from May 20 to June 11 in Indonesian cities. Though any news related to Palestine and Israel often generates two sharply different kinds of responses,…

What Unites and Disunites Indonesia and Malaysia?

What Unites and Disunites Indonesia and Malaysia?

Indonesia, a country of 275 million people, and Malaysia, a country of 33 million, are neighbors with many similarities. Malaysia and Indonesia have a shared history, culture, and religion, Islam. Their national languages belong to the same language family, making communication between their citizens simple. Furthermore, both Southeast Asian states are founding members of major…

By Recognizing Israel, Muslim Countries Are Betraying the Palestinian Cause

By Recognizing Israel, Muslim Countries Are Betraying the Palestinian Cause

The Arab, Muslim and many of the “Non-Aligned” member countries were once staunch supporters of the Palestinian cause. However, in the world that exists today, this is no longer the case. One after the other, the Arab states are falling into the trap of normalizing relations with Israel. Many African nations are doing the same,…

Australia Aims at Strengthening Its Ties with Indonesia

Australia Aims at Strengthening Its Ties with Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia does not actively participate in the present geopolitical game being played on the world stage and strives to maintain harmonious ties with both its immediate neighbors and powerful nations like China, the United States, and Russia. Meanwhile, the fact that Indonesia is a pretty large state with 275 million citizens and…

Indonesia Will Ultimately Have to Decide Which Military Side It’s on in the New Cold War

Indonesia Will Ultimately Have to Decide Which Military Side It’s on in the New Cold War

One way or another, whichever decision it makes will be zero-sum. Indonesia will either risk creating the pretext for China to potentially react through economic means to newfound AUKUS-led regional security threats “passively facilitated” by that archipelago or it’ll literally place itself in the military crosshairs of that anti-Chinese alliance’s contingency planning. The emerging powers…