Indonesia

Japan

Vietnam

Economics

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Politics

Science & Technology

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed agreements with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung to deepen cooperation on energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space during the former's visit to Hanoi, Reuters reported on May 2.

Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam: Tokyo Deepens Strategic Foothold in Southeast Asia

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto launched 13 downstream projects worth $6.7 billion aimed at processing more of Indonesia's natural resources at home and reducing raw commodity exports, the Jakarta Globe reported April 29.

Indonesia: Country Deepens Resource Nationalism With New Projects

Hundreds of students and other civilians protested in Jayapura, Papua province, demanding that Indonesia withdraw military personnel from all six Papuan provinces after a recent military operation allegedly killed 15 people, including women and children, Reuters reported on April 27.

Indonesia: Papua Protest Highlights Grievances Against Military-First Approach

Malaysia

Singapore

Indonesia is exploring imposing a levy on ships transiting the Strait of Malacca, arguing that Indonesia should better capitalize on its position astride the major global trade and energy route, citing Iran's proposed tolls in the Strait of Hormuz as precedent, Channel News Asia reported on April 22.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore: Jakarta Floats Fees for Malacca Strait Transit

France

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in defense procurement, defense industrial cooperation and energy transition work, AFP reported on April 15.

Indonesia, France: Paris Visit Advances Defense Buildout as Jakarta Broadens Strategic Options

United States

Russia

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in energy, downstream industry and other economic sectors, while officials said they were working on possible long-term oil supply contracts, Nikkei Asia reported on April 14. 

Indonesia, Russia, U.S.: Energy and Defense Ties Deepen, but Jakarta Maintains Its Nonalignment

Iran

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Thousands of people protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta following the deaths of three Indonesian soldiers serving in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, with demonstrators condemning Israel, the Jakarta Globe reported on April 6.

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

South Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto upgraded ties to a special comprehensive strategic partnership and entered into new agreements to deepen cooperation across critical minerals, clean energy, technology and defense, Yonhap News Agency reported on April 1.

South Korea, Indonesia: Seoul, Jakarta Upgrade Ties and Deepen Defense Industrial and Supply Chain Integration

Assessments

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

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Laos

Myanmar

Philippines

Thailand

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

Slovakia

Hungary

Ukraine

India

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

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 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

Lebanon

Morocco

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

Australia

China

Timor-Leste

Mongolia

Europe

Bulgaria

Afghanistan

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Cyber

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

U.S.-China Relations

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

A protest in front of police headquarters Aug. 31 in in Surabaya, Indonesia. Mass protests are poised to continue absent unlikely and large government concessions, but President Prabowo Subianto's position will remain secure.

While mass protests are poised to continue absent unlikely and large government concessions, President Prabowo Subianto's position will remain secure. 

Unrest in Indonesia Will Continue, but Not Dislodge the Government

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Uruguay

United Arab Emirates

The Geopolitics of Trade

Mercosur is increasingly opening its markets in pursuit of free trade agreements with partners around the world, particularly as U.S. protectionism shifts global trade dynamics.

The Geopolitics of Trade: What Changing Trade Dynamics Mean for Mercosur

Snapshots

Containers are unloaded from a ship at a terminal of Tanjung Priok Port, the main seaport in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 24, 2025. 

In exchange for a lower U.S. tariff rate, Indonesia accepted significant concessions, including purchasing commitments and regulatory changes, that risk limiting its long-term autonomy and industrial policy goals.

To Avoid Steeper Tariffs, Indonesia Reaches High-Stakes Trade Deal With the U.S.

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

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

Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam: Tokyo Deepens Strategic Foothold in Southeast Asia

Indonesia: Country Deepens Resource Nationalism With New Projects

Indonesia: Papua Protest Highlights Grievances Against Military-First Approach

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore: Jakarta Floats Fees for Malacca Strait Transit

Indonesia, France: Paris Visit Advances Defense Buildout as Jakarta Broadens Strategic Options

Indonesia, Russia, U.S.: Energy and Defense Ties Deepen, but Jakarta Maintains Its Nonalignment

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

South Korea, Indonesia: Seoul, Jakarta Upgrade Ties and Deepen Defense Industrial and Supply Chain Integration

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