
Indonesia as ASEAN chair – not rocking the boat in 2023
Foreign Policy, SecurityWhen Indonesia took over the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in January 2023, the organisation was in need of strong leadership. Ultimately, Jakarta failed to offer much-needed leadership on new norms and principles to maintain ASEAN’s unity and relevance. But it did secure several tangible deliverables during its time as chair.

Another BRIC in the wall? Indonesia’s BRICS dilemma
Foreign Policy, PoliticsOn August 2023, President Widodo attended the 15th annual BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in Indonesia’s capacity as ASEAN Chair. Indonesia will remain outside BRICS for the time being. But big questions remain. Will Indonesia will join the bloc in the future? And does Indonesia share BRICS’ enthusiasm for challenging Western dominance of the international order?

Talking Indonesia: Jokowi Goes to Africa
Foreign Policy, Talking IndonesiaJoko Widodo’s recent trip to four African countries marked the first ever by an Indonesian head of state.So, what motivated such a high-level trip to Africa? Why did Jokowi choose to make such an historic visit at this stage in his presidency? What is the current state of Indonesia-Africa relations and what might Indonesia’s ambitions be for its future in the continent? In this week's episode Jemma Purdey chats with Dr Christophe Dorigné-Thomson who holds a PhD in Politics from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Indonesia.

Jokowi’s China visit - new deals, old problems
Economy, Foreign Policy, SecurityIndonesia President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo completed his sixth official visit to China last week. The recent Chengdu visit serves as a reminder of just how far Indonesia-China relations have come under the ten years of the Indonesia-China Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Jokowi’s tenure as President.

Business partnerships the winner from Jokowi’s visit but visa reforms fall short
Foreign Policy, Migration
For years, Indonesian and Australian leaders have been meeting to shake hands and declare the huge potential for our two countries to build closer relations.
The visit to Sydney last week by Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo…

Considered economic diplomacy required in the wake of Jokowi visit
Economy, Foreign PolicyIndonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo unveiled an ambitious vision for an expanded economic partnership with Australia during his three-day visit to Sydney. Albanese’s economic diplomacy with Indonesia needs ambition, but it also needs to be realistic and very carefully considered

The US is helping Indonesians build startups while Australia is busy selling diplomas
Economy, Foreign PolicyA study of over 300 successful Indonesian technology co-founders shows that 61% had either studied or worked overseas. This begs the question – why have so many successful Indonesian entrepreneurs traveled abroad?

‘Some things are priceless’ – is Indonesia choosing sovereignty over Mastercard?
Economy, Foreign PolicyIn March, President Joko Widodo ignited a discussion around financial sovereignty when he urged national and regional governments and state-owned enterprises to stop using Visa and Mastercard for the domestic purchasing of goods and services. What does this tell us about Indonesia's place in the world?

Football World Cup: has a hard line on Israel undermined Indonesian soft power?
Foreign Policy, Politics, UncategorizedA lot has been said about Fifa's decision to replace Indonesia as the host of the Under-20 World Cup. Here Ario Bimo Utomo takes a look at the impact of the decision on Indonesian soft power.