Indonesia

Economics

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans for a commodity exchange to establish Indonesian reference prices by early 2027 as he presented a $230 billion budget targeting 6% growth and a 2.4% fiscal deficit, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 14. 

Indonesia: Jakarta Scales Back Commodity Export Centralization

China

Taiwan

Military & Security

A Chinese warship and an Indonesian warship will conduct communications and at-sea replenishment drills "east of Taiwan" later in August, according to a readout from China's Ministry of National Defense published on Aug. 11.

China, Indonesia: Beijing, Jakarta Plan Naval Drill East of Taiwan

Politics

Indonesia is provisionally reducing the budget for President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free school meals program to $12.8 billion, marking the second budget cut since the program's initial $18.7 billion allocation, with further cuts still possible, Reuters reported on July 21. 

Indonesia: Free Meals Cut Highlights Fiscal Tightness, Limits of Spending Agenda

India

India and Indonesia advanced defense ties as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta and signed agreements for Indonesia to acquire BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Bloomberg reported on July 7. 

India, Indonesia: Governments Deepen Defense and Economic Cooperation

Australia

New Zealand

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the first stop on his tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, The Times of India reported on July 6.

India: Modi Begins Tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand

Indonesia's parliament approved rules allowing Danantara, the country's sovereign wealth fund run by the executive branch, to issue special bonds to help fund the government's spending priorities, Bloomberg reported on June 26.

Indonesia: New Bond Protections Raise Governance Risks

Energy

Indonesia announced a roughly $1.48 billion stimulus package for the second half of 2026, including transportation assistance, employment and vocational programs, food assistance and food price stabilization measures, Nikkei Asia reported on June 23.

Indonesia: Energy Crisis Forces Stimulus as Shortages and Blackouts Spread

A top official with Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia, Indonesia's new state-owned entity created to oversee commodity exports, said the agency will review export prices and trade data but will not directly sell commodities, replace private exporters or take over existing contracts, Bloomberg reported on June 12.

Indonesia: Policy Backlash Compels Export Rule Clarification as Thousands Protest

Snapshots

United States

Japan

Philippines

Crew members on a Chinese navy ship wave as they prepare to dock at Indonesia's Tanjung Perak Port on Aug. 2, 2026. 

U.S.-China Relations

China's recent naval drill with Indonesia appears aimed at asserting de facto jurisdiction around Taiwan, raising the risk of at-sea clashes and increased tensions with the U.S., Japan and the Philippines.

China's Latest Drills Near Taiwan Aim To Assert De Facto Jurisdiction

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (center) and other leaders leave after a group photo session on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila on July 24, 2026.

The meetings in Manila produced talks but no immediate collective action on critical regional issues like the Iran war's energy shock, intensifying South China Sea tensions and the Myanmar civil war.

ASEAN Meetings Make Little Headway on Pressing Energy and Security Issues

Assessments

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Europe

France

United Kingdom

Ukraine

Russia

ASEAN leaders hold hands for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN summit in Cebu, central Philippines on May 8, 2026. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Tensions Remain High, ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meet With Myanmar

The logo of Danantara Indonesia, the country's second sovereign wealth fund, is seen at its headquarters in Jakarta on March 31, 2026. 

Indonesia's new commodity oversight regime marks a major expansion of state control over strategic exports, but fiscal pressure, investor unease and street protests will likely push a softer monitoring model short of a full state takeover.

Managing Uncertainty Under Indonesia's Evolving Export Control Regime

South Korea

The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2024 in Washington.

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the Trump administration's tariffs imposed under the IEEPA still leaves Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam vulnerable to other trade escalation mechanisms.

Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam Assess Their U.S. Trade Deals After IEEPA Tariffs

Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro speaks at a press conference during a Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cebu City, the Philippines, on Jan. 29, 2026.

The coming year will test ASEAN's ability to maintain unity, manage crises and remain a credible regional forum amid rising internal security risks and a more fractured world order, particularly as the Philippines butts heads with China in the South China Sea.

Previewing the Philippines 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship

Palestinian Territories

Slovakia

Hungary

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

Visitors take pictures in front of an electronic board displaying falling stock prices at the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta on Jan. 29, 2026.

The episode exposes structural risks embedded in the president's governance that could threaten investor confidence -- and with it, Indonesia's economic growth and manufacturing competitiveness.

Lessons Learned From Indonesia's Market Rout

Benin

Burkina Faso

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Madagascar

Mali

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

Canada

Paraguay

Venezuela

Egypt

Morocco

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

Mongolia

Bulgaria

Afghanistan

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Media

Podcasts

What is the outlook for Indonesia-Israel normalization, and what would that process look like?

Essential Geopolitics: Indonesia's Interest in Israel-Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump (center) poses for a group photo with the leaders of (L-R) Singapore, East Timor, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia and Laos during the ASEAN leaders summit on Oct. 26, 2025. 

Global Trade

The summit highlighted the Southeast Asian bloc's attempts to boost internal unity and economic integration amid the U.S.-China rivalry, but it also exposed structural divides and external pressures that hinder unified action and leave ASEAN states vulnerable to coercion.

The Takeaways From the 2025 ASEAN Summit

Columns

On Security

Kenya

South Africa

Chile

Ecuador

Peru

Jordan

Tunisia

Serbia

Bangladesh

Fire rages through the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025, after youth protesters set fire to the building. 

Recent events in Nepal, Madagascar and elsewhere show how digitally coordinated, leaderless protests can succeed, but eventually face even larger challenges in sustaining the momentum for change.

Worldwide Gen Z Protesters May Be Disappointed With Their Success

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 Scales Back Commodity Export Centralization

China, Indonesia: Beijing, Jakarta Plan Naval Drill East of Taiwan

Indonesia: Free Meals Cut Highlights Fiscal Tightness, Limits of Spending Agenda

India, Indonesia: Governments Deepen Defense and Economic Cooperation

India: Modi Begins Tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand

Indonesia: New Bond Protections Raise Governance Risks

Indonesia: Energy Crisis Forces Stimulus as Shortages and Blackouts Spread

Indonesia: Policy Backlash Compels Export Rule Clarification as Thousands Protest

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support