Indonesia

Myanmar

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Politics

During Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to Russia, Russia and Indonesia signed a strategic partnership and expanded trade, and Indonesia also concluded a free trade pact with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, DW and the Jakarta Globe reported separately on June 20.

Russia, Indonesia, Myanmar: Moscow's Footprint Deepens in Southeast Asia

Canada

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will travel to Russia on June 18-20 to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, skipping the Group of Seven summit in Canada despite a direct invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Bloomberg reported on June 12.

Indonesia, Russia: Indonesian President To Skip G7, Meet Putin Instead

Turkey

Military & Security

Indonesia agreed to purchase 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey over the next 10 years, and the deal includes technology transfers, Hurriyet Daily News reported on June 11. 

Turkey, Indonesia: 10-Year Deal Marks Breakout KAAN Fighter Jet Sale

Europe

The European Union and Indonesia concluded negotiations on their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, following nine years of negotiations, The Jakarta Globe reported on June 8.

EU, Indonesia: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Concluded

France

Energy

French President Emmanuel Macron and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto signed 27 cooperation agreements during the former's state visit to Indonesia, deepening collaboration in defense and energy, among other areas, the Indonesia Business Post reported on May 29.

France, Indonesia: Paris, Jakarta Deepen Defense, Energy Ties

China

China and Indonesia signed 12 cooperation agreements during Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Jakarta, including a central bank memorandum of understanding to promote the use of yuan and rupiah in bilateral trade, the Jakarta Globe reported on May 26. 

China, Indonesia: Countries Deepen Trade Ties, Boost Yuan-Rupiah Mechanisms

Bahrain

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Oman

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United Arab Emirates

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Laos

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Malaysia hosted the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council-China trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Channel News Asia reported on May 27.

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is set to appoint former Lieutenant General Djaka Budi Utama, who previously served in the army's controversial Tim Mawar unit, as Director General of Customs and Excise, The Jakarta Post reported May 22.

Indonesia: President Taps Former General for Top Customs Role

Assessments

United States

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

The impending full implementation of sweeping U.S. tariffs threatens to significantly disrupt export-driven ASEAN economies, which is driving countries to seek alternative trade partners.

The Geopolitics of Trade: U.S. Tariffs Give Impetus to ASEAN Trade Diversification

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press briefing during his trip to Singapore on May 30, 2025. 

U.S.-China Relations

The deals reached with Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam expand France's role in Southeast Asia amid shifting global trade and defense dynamics, a welcome development for a region increasingly pinned between the U.S. and China.

Macron's Southeast Asia Tour Deepens French Footprint in the Region

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto speaks during an economic event in Jakarta on April 8, 2025.

The president's efforts to consolidate power via welfare populism and security-minded governance could face challenges if economic headwinds strengthen, especially amid looming U.S. tariff threats.

How Subianto Is Making His Mark on Indonesian Politics

Timor-Leste

The flags of the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, are seen on display.

Malaysia's chairmanship will be pivotal in navigating security risks as well as those from U.S. trade restrictions, potential Chinese economic coercion, and supply chain realignments that threaten ASEAN's cohesion and strategic autonomy.

Previewing Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship

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India

The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Social Issues

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Japan

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a joint press conference on Jan. 10, 2025.

Japan is intensifying its diplomatic and security engagement in Southeast Asia through defense, trade and infrastructure agreements to counterbalance China and enhance regional stability.

Ishiba Strengthens Japan's Role in Southeast Asia With Defense and Trade Deals

Germany

The West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 17 in Washington. Donald Trump will be inaugurated as U.S. president on Jan. 20.

Israel-Hamas 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 Gaza Ceasefire, Trump's Inauguration

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Australia

South Korea

Taiwan

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. 

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

Kenya

South Africa

Egypt

Iran

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.

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

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 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

Russia, Indonesia, Myanmar: Moscow's Footprint Deepens in Southeast Asia

Indonesia, Russia: Indonesian President To Skip G7, Meet Putin Instead

Turkey, Indonesia: 10-Year Deal Marks Breakout KAAN Fighter Jet Sale

EU, Indonesia: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Concluded

France, Indonesia: Paris, Jakarta Deepen Defense, Energy Ties

China, Indonesia: Countries Deepen Trade Ties, Boost Yuan-Rupiah Mechanisms

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

Indonesia: President Taps Former General for Top Customs Role

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