Rubber is the Pathway to Indonesia's EV Future Commentary by Wayne Forrest I am a little tired of all the attention EV’s are getting. Their emergence in the world’s marketplace has energized countries, no pun intended, all over the world including Indonesia. Everyone wants to make them or their batteries, creating new jobs in
The Political Season The political season is underway in Indonesia. Its political parties have begun announcing their candidates for President, although none have yet chosen their Vice-Presidential candidates. President Jokowi cannot run for a third term and attempts to extend his time because of the pandemic have been unsuccessful. What then should we be
Are We More Palistinian Than The Palistinians? Commentary by Wayne Forrest Indonesia doesn’t usually receive worldwide press attention for its accomplishments and reforms. Rather, it takes something bad like a disaster or cultural anomaly for Indonesia to get a lot of ink. So the world doesn’t hear stories such as Ford and Vale have
March Crazy Weather Commentary by Wayne Forrest Where I live, 20 miles north of New York City, March is a complete mix of weather patterns. Snow one day, warm temperatures the next. “In like a lion and out like a lamb”, goes the saying. To read about developments in Indonesia is to experience this
Issue To Watch: Two Nations Adopting Industrial Policies Commentary by Wayne Forrest Indonesia and the US are two nations that share many characteristics: large agricultural exporters, similar mottoes (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Unity in Diversity, E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many One), diversity of ethnic groups and languages; big producers of oil, gas, and minerals;
Issue To Watch: Outlook for 2023 Commentary by Wayne Forrest As we predicted last January, Indonesia’s 2022 economic performance outstripped 2021, itself a return to growth following the first year of the pandemic. It was more than just government spending and higher mineral prices that helped boost GDP to over 5.0% by Q3: manufacturing
Commentary by Wayne Forrest Indonesia lost an important case at the WTO filed by the European Union (EU) on November 30 over its nickel export ban dating back to 2019. The importance of the case has less to do with nickel than other products. President Jokowi had anticipated the result in September of this
November 2022 Issue To Watch: Halloween, Inflation, and the Quantity Theory of Money by Wayne Forrest We’ve just experienced a Halloween in which frightful fantasies become reality as the young seek happiness, expecting they are protected, but they are not. Who knew that the American costume and candy holiday (at one time it raised
October 2022 Issue To Watch: The Increasing Role of Indonesia's State-Owned Enterprises Commentary by Wayne Forrest You send your kids to school in America, thinking they’re safe, and then a shooting occurs. In Indonesia, it could be a flood collapsing a school’s wall. America’s infrastructure issues are internal, between our ears; in Indonesia, they’re
SEPTEMBER 2022 Issue To Watch: Indonesia After 3 Years Commentary by Wayne Forrest It was wonderful to be in Indonesia for two weeks in August for the first time in three years. Not only did I see old friends and make new ones, I had a chance to travel on one of the many