China

Indonesia

Malaysia

Economics

Politics

Malaysia announced plans to reform its anti-dumping legislation to counter an influx of cheap Chinese goods, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 17.

Malaysia, Indonesia: Chinese Dumping Undermines Regional Trade Amid Growing Economic Pressure

Japan

Military & Security

Japan and Indonesia agreed to strengthen security cooperation, including joint development of maritime defense capabilities, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Jan. 13. 

Japan, Indonesia: Maritime Defense, Food Security Deals Signed

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba began a four-day trip to Malaysia and Indonesia, where he will hold separate summits with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Subianto Prabowo, The Japan Times reported Jan. 9.

Japan: Prime Minister Seeks Trade, Defense Upgrades in Visits to Malaysia and Indonesia 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Australian bank Macquarie warned in a client note that Indonesia's proposed cuts to nickel mining quotas could reduce overall global nickel supply by 35%, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 8.

Indonesia: Proposed Nickel Quota Cut Could Reduce Global Supply by 35%

BRICS chair Brazil announced Indonesia's formal membership in the trade bloc following the unanimous endorsement of the group's member states, the Jakarta Globe reported on Jan. 6. 

Indonesia: Country Becomes Newest Fully Fledged BRICS Member

Canada

Indonesia and Canada signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to bolster bilateral trade and sustainable critical mineral and agricultural development, Reuters reported on Dec. 2. 

Indonesia, Canada: New Trade Deal To Remove Tariffs, Increase Investment

Opposition candidate Pramono Anung of the opposition Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, has declared victory in Indonesia's Jakarta gubernatorial race, outright defeating the candidate endorsed by President Prabowo Subianto (and his predecessor Joko ''Jokowi Widodo's), Ridwan Kamil, the Jakarta Globe reported Nov. 27.

Indonesia: Opposition Figure Wins Jakarta Governorship

United States

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and U.S. President Joe Biden met for an official state visit in Washington and discussed security, trade, supply chain diversification and climate resilience, Reuters reported on Nov. 12.

Indonesia, U.S.: Presidents Meet, Create Frameworks for Future Collaboration

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Philippines

South Korea

Taiwan

Vietnam

India

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

U.S.-China Relations

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Assessments

Ethiopia

Kenya

South Africa

Brazil

Egypt

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Moldova

Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

Media

Podcasts

What are the major issues on Subianto's policy agenda? 

Essential Geopolitics: What to Expect from Indonesia's New President

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Laos

Myanmar

Singapore

Thailand

Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (center) and other ASEAN leaders take part in the 2024 ASEAN summit in Vientiane on Oct. 9, 2024. 

The deals signed at the summit reflect an increasing focus on economic integration amid the Southeast Asian bloc's continued failure to find consensus on security issues.

Reviewing the 2024 ASEAN Summit

Indonesian Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto (center) is seen next to outgoing President Joko Widodo (right) in the parliament building in Jakarta on Aug. 16, 2024. 

The defense minister-turned-president will maintain his predecessor's efforts to bolster Indonesia's economy while adopting a more hawkish stance abroad, particularly on the country's territorial dispute with China.

In Indonesia, Previewing the Prabowo Presidency

The flags of ASEAN members are displayed at a naval base during the ASEAN Solidarity Exercise in Batam, Natuna regency, Riau Islands province, Indonesia, on Sept. 20, 2023. 

ASEAN's economic and geopolitical diversity will impede significant progress toward deeper integration, despite members' intention to collaborate more closely.

Economic and Geopolitical Diversity Hinders ASEAN's Path to Deeper Integration

People gather in front of the East Java Provincial Parliament in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Aug. 23, 2024, as they protest against a move to overturn a Constitutional Court decision on election rules. 

The backlash against a proposed measure that would let the outgoing president's son run for Jakarta's deputy governorship highlights a growing power struggle between various branches of Indonesia's government.

Jokowi's Dynastic Ambitions Risk Plunging Indonesia Into Crisis

An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2022, shows solar panels at the Sao Mai solar energy plant in Vietnam’s An Giang province. 

Energy

Several ASEAN countries are on track to develop substantial renewable power capacities in the short term, but technical, political and financial constraints, coupled with incentives to keep burning fossil fuels, will impede long-term decarbonization goals.

The Challenges Facing Southeast Asia's Decarbonization

Fiji

New Zealand

North Korea

United Kingdom

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

Turkey

Europe

An APK rally March 29, 2024, in Istanbul. Nationwide municipal elections occur March 31, in which the ruling AKP will likely try to regain the mayoralties of large cities including Ankara and Istanbul.

The Weekly Rundown: Turkish Municipal Elections, Blinken Goes to Europe

Iraq

Israel

Palestinian Territories

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with its Crew Dragon capsule launches from Launch Complex 39A during Axiom's third private mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 18, 2024.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote in Indonesia, U.S.-Iraq Military Negotiations and a U.S. Moon Mission

The three candidates running in Indonesia's 2024 presidential race -- Anies Baswedan (left), Prabowo Subianto (center) and Ganjar Pranowo (right) -- attend a debate in Jakarta on Feb. 4, 2024. 

Outgoing President Jokowi's efforts to consolidate power and his preferred successor's history of authoritarianism risk eroding the rule of law in the world's third-largest democracy.

Previewing Indonesia's Presidential Election

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

Malaysia, Indonesia: Chinese Dumping Undermines Regional Trade Amid Growing Economic Pressure

Japan, Indonesia: Maritime Defense, Food Security Deals Signed

Japan: Prime Minister Seeks Trade, Defense Upgrades in Visits to Malaysia and Indonesia

Indonesia: Proposed Nickel Quota Cut Could Reduce Global Supply by 35%

Indonesia: Country Becomes Newest Fully Fledged BRICS Member

Indonesia, Canada: New Trade Deal To Remove Tariffs, Increase Investment

Indonesia: Opposition Figure Wins Jakarta Governorship

Indonesia, U.S.: Presidents Meet, Create Frameworks for Future Collaboration

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support