Indonesia

Military & Security

Politics

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo approved a 20% increase in defense spending through the end of 2024, BenarNews reported on Dec. 1.

Indonesia: Jakarta to Increase Defense Spending by 20% in 2024

United States

Economics

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and U.S. President Joe Biden will discuss advancing a limited free trade agreement around nickel for electric vehicle batteries, Nikkei Asia reported on Nov. 13.

Indonesia, U.S.: Leaders to Discuss Nickel, EV Supply Chains

Israel

Malaysia

Large numbers of Indonesian and Malaysian social media users are using TikTok and Facebook to disseminate a boycott list of 121 brands supposedly affiliated with Israel, its supporters or Jewish owners, The South China Morning Post reported on Nov. 6.

Indonesia, Malaysia: Anti-Israel Boycotts Hit Big-Name Corporations

Indonesia's counter-terrorism task force arrested 59 alleged militants suspected of plotting to disrupt the country's Feb. 14 elections, The Jakarta Globe reported Oct. 31.

Indonesia: Authorities Arrest Dozens of Alleged Terrorist Plotters

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto officially registered for Indonesia's Feb. 14 presidential election, Reuters reported on Oct. 23.

Indonesia: Favorite Registers for Election, Offers VP Spot to President's Son

Indonesia's Constitutional Court will convene on Oct. 16 to rule on a petition that would lower the legal minimum age of presidential and vice presidential candidates in elections from 40 to 35, Reuters reported Oct. 10.

Indonesia: Petition to Lower Presidential Age Requirement Could Pave Way for Jokowi's Son

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Myanmar

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Rice prices are up more than 40% in Southeast Asia since late 2022 amid India's rice export ban instituted on July 20 and El Nino conditions that are reducing rice output from harvests, BenarNews reported on Sept. 29.

Southeast Asia: Food Insecurity on the Rise Amid Rice Export Bans, El Nino

Europe

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang implored 28 coastal localities to confront illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in their jurisdictions in line with the European Commission's recommendations, Bao Chinh Phu, the official Vietnamese government newspaper, reported on Aug. 30.

Vietnam: Hanoi Seeks Reduction in IUU Fishing to Forestall Economic Repercussions

Assessments

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2023.

The U.S. and Indonesia are bolstering critical mineral trade and defense cooperation, but this will run up against U.S. concerns about the Indonesian nickel sector's ESG standards, as well as Jakarta's desire to maintain ties with China.

The Promise of, and Limits to, Upgraded U.S.-Indonesia Ties

Snapshots

Supporters of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka attend an event in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 25, 2023. 

Victory for a ticket that includes the current president's son would portend policy continuity, though Jokowi may find himself with less influence over the new administration than he had hoped for.

What To Watch for as Indonesia's 2024 Presidential Campaign Kicks Off

China

Rare earth elements. Malaysia's recently announced plan to ban exports of rare earth elements is the latest example of the deepening regional trend of resource nationalism.

Malaysia's move will negatively impact its international partners in the sector, but give Malaysia a strategic advantage in the marketplace.

With a Rare Earth Ban, Malaysia Is Poised to Join the Regional Resource Nationalism Trend

Saudi Arabia

Ukraine

India

A door at the U.N. headquarters Sept. 15, 2023, in New York ahead of the 78th session of the General Assembly. The 78th U.N. General Assembly will occur Sept. 18-26 against a backdrop of deepening global divisions.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The U.N. General Assembly, Zelensky's U.S. Visit

Laos

Philippines

Regional leaders pose for a group photo before the ASEAN-Australia summit, held as part of the 43rd ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 7, 2023. From left to right stand the Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei's Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.

U.S.-China Relations

ASEAN's most recent summit underscored chronic passivity within the bloc that will only worsen in 2024. 

Amid ASEAN's Inaction, the Block's Members Look to External Partners for Security

Kenya

Turkey

Russia

Vehicles drive past the logo of the G-20 Summit on Aug. 10, 2023, in New Delhi.

The Weekly Rundown: The Africa Climate Summit, the G-20 Summit in New Delhi

A Chinese coast guard ship sails past anchored Philippine fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea, on Feb. 3, 2023.

A binding code of conduct in the South China Sea remains unlikely, despite the resumption of negotiations between claimant states.

With No Deal in Sight, South China Sea Claimants Continue to Militarize

Egypt

United Kingdom

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (2 L) speaks during the G-20 Finance Ministers Meeting on July 15, 2022, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. Indonesia will host the annual G-20 summit on Nov. 15-16.

Energy

The Weekly Rundown: Indonesia Hosts a G-20 Summit, Netanyahu Seeks to Build a New Government

A woman in Jakarta, Indonesia, walks past a logo for the upcoming G-20 Summit in Bali on Nov. 8, 2022. 

If he can keep conversations between world leaders on-topic and cordial, President Jokowi will prove the Southeast Asian country's credibility as an international mediator.

What's at Stake as Indonesia Hosts Its First G-20 Summit

Media

Podcasts

An export ban on raw ore could be great for Indonesia's economy.

Essential Geopolitics: Indonesia's Plan for Nickel Ore

Social Issues

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Midterm Elections, ASEAN Meets

A worker uses a furnace during the nickel smelting process at Indonesian mining company PT Vale Indonesia's smelting plant in Soroako, South Sulawesi province, on March 30, 2019.

With the help of investments from foreign firms like Tesla, the island nation is seeking to produce more of the higher-value nickel products used in EV batteries. 

Indonesia Gambles on Refined Nickel Amid the Global Energy Transition

The geopolitical foundation of modern Indonesia is the seas and ports that integrate the country's islands that stretch from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Of Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands, about 6,000 are populated by more than 300 ethnolinguistic cultures. The Dutch first consolidated large parts of modern Indonesia by the 19th century, and maintaining political unity of its culturally diverse islands poses the nation's primary geographic challenge. Indonesia's main island, Java, is home to about 60 percent of the country's population, with its largest ethnic group being the Javanese. Java is also Indonesia's agricultural heartland, producing coffee, sugarcane, rubber and rice. A spine of east-west volcanic mountains runs along the southern reaches of the island. These mountains orient Java's population to the north, toward the Java Sea. The Java Sea is the core of Indonesia, with the Karimata Strait, the Makassar Strait and the Flores Sea linking the main island of Java to its outer islands, stretching from Sumatra to Sulawesi to western New Guinea. These islands have been critical sources of oil, natural gas, copper and tin. Indonesia's disconnected landmasses and vast maritime stretches present difficulties and limitations to centralized control, as seen with the independence of East Timor in the 1990s and ongoing separatist concerns in Aceh and Irian Jaya. Holding this island nation together has required a strong central authority to balance regional aspirations and national interests &mdash; although it has tried to balance tight control with empowerment of regions in recent decades. Ultimately, Indonesia is burdened by the conflicting requirements of managing the populations of each island while expending resources to control its maritime core.

SITUATION REPORTS

Indonesia: Jakarta to Increase Defense Spending by 20% in 2024

Indonesia, U.S.: Leaders to Discuss Nickel, EV Supply Chains

Indonesia, Malaysia: Anti-Israel Boycotts Hit Big-Name Corporations

Indonesia: Authorities Arrest Dozens of Alleged Terrorist Plotters

Indonesia: Favorite Registers for Election, Offers VP Spot to President's Son

Indonesia: Petition to Lower Presidential Age Requirement Could Pave Way for Jokowi's Son

Southeast Asia: Food Insecurity on the Rise Amid Rice Export Bans, El Nino

Vietnam: Hanoi Seeks Reduction in IUU Fishing to Forestall Economic Repercussions

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