Golkar Returns
For those familiar with Indonesian politics Golkar is the party synonymous with Indonesia’s economic development. More than a just a political party, Golkar was an amalgamation of various “functional groups” […]
Nurhadi and the Rule of Law
Just as the Masela Block decision (main topic of last month’s commentary that described a sudden reversal of a decision to build an LNG facility on rather than offshore) spoke […]
The Meaning of Masela
The forward progress of the Jokowi government may have hit a speed bump with its decision to go against the proposal of both the field operators Shell and Inpex, the […]
Duane Gingerich’s Pivot: In Memoriam (1942-2016)
As President Obama prepares to receive most of Southeast Asia’s heads of state at the US-ASEAN Summit February 15-16 in Rancho Mirage I am thinking of a recently fallen friend […]
President Jokowi in DC
President Jokowi’s visit to the US October 26 and 27, although shortened by the forest fire issue, included a longer than expected bilateral with President Obama, progress on security relations, […]
New Deregulation Package
Indonesia has released the second of three deregulation/stimulus packages designed to boost a flagging economy and strengthen the exchange rate. The first (released September 10) was primarily an exercise in […]
The Meaning of Banggai
August 7, 2015 President Jokowi traveled to the Banggai Regency in central Sulawesi this week to inaugurate the $5.8 billion “Pertamina Mega Integrated Project”, which is planned to match the […]
Idul Fitri Reshuffle
June 30, 2105 The serious Cabinet reshuffle rumors began in June: in Indonesia, they are part of the air one breaths. An underwhelming economic performance would prompt President Jokowi to […]
Soekarno’s Echo
Indonesia’s first President became so frustrated with the “West” that he famously declared ” go to hell with your aid”. A combination of the Cold War and misjudgments of Soekarno’s […]
Backing Away From the Dollar
We are starting to see the glimmer of a new strategy for how Indonesia wants to do business and it may have less to with the US dollar. Foreign exchange […]