Politics

Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals Program and the Leadership Test for Prabowo

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When Prabowo Subianto won Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election, one campaign promise stood out more than any other: free nutritious meals program for schoolchildren. It sounded simple, almost disarmingly populist. Yet behind the promise, lies one of the most complex and ambitious social policy experiments in modern Indonesia. Launched in January 2025, the Free Nutritious Meals […]

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Analysis: Indonesia in The Board of Peace and the Palestinian Conflict After the Attack on UNIFIL Troops in Lebanon

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Three soldiers of the Garuda Contingent were killed in Lebanon within 24 hours. This incident is not merely a national tragedy—it exposes the deepest contradiction in Indonesia’s diplomacy: Indonesia is in The Board of Peace, sponsored by a country accused of killing its own soldiers. Saturday night, March 29, 2026. At a guard post near

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Iran Military Capabilities After the 2025–2026 Strikes: A Strategic Assessment by Indonesian Military Expert

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Iran has absorbed several waves of large-scale strikes and still retains asymmetric retaliation capacity; Iran military capabilities is degraded but not collapsed. Every conventional strike that fails to end the regime, reinforces Iran’s nuclear justification – making this the most important variable to consider. Two waves of large-scale airstrikes launched by the United States and

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Political Lineage, Elite Reproduction, and the Power Transition in Indonesia

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The period from 2026 leading up to the next two presidential elections in 2029 and 2034 represents a crucial juncture for Indonesia’s political future. A number of veteran Indonesian political elites who have occupied the inner circle of power—many since the 1998 Reformasi—are entering their twilight years. How will the power transition unfold in their

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Between Development and Democracy: Comparing Prabowo and Lee Kuan Yew’s Development Model

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President Prabowo appears to be inspired by Lee Kuan Yew’s model of economic pragmatism. This is evident in the policies adopted through bureaucratic efficiency, strict oversight of corruption, and state-led economic development. Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew’s administration is often cited as an example of the East Asian model of economic development. Massive economic development

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When Influencers Become Indonesia’s New Intellectuals Amidst the Decay of Academia

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Indonesian influencers have stepped in to seize the intellectual mantle once held by the ivory tower. ​Gramsci famously posited that while everyone is an intellectual, not everyone fulfills the function of an intellectual in society. His perspective serves as a poignant reminder: being an intellectual is less about academic credentials and more about the responsibility

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