Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr. Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
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Sending troops under the ISF risks making Indonesia complicit in Gaza’s occupation
Indonesia is being invited not to keep the peace in Gaza, but to help launder an injustice. The proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF), a centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, is presented as a humanitarian intervention: temporary, multilateral, and necessary to stabilize a shattered territory. But stripped of its…
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What Indonesia’s silence on Iran is meant to preserve
Indonesia’s response to the unrest unfolding in Iran has been notable less for what it has said than for how narrowly it has defined its role. As demonstrations that began in late December 2025 continue across multiple Iranian cities, Jakarta has confined its public engagement to consular matters and situational…
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Indonesia is right to reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
On 26th December 2025, the State of Israel made a singular diplomatic declaration: it became the first nation in the world to recognize Somaliland as an independent, sovereign state. The breakaway region in the Horn of Africa — which declared itself separate from Somalia in 1991 but has never been…
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Indonesia issued 51 visas to Israelis. That choice has moral consequences
Indonesia has issued 51 calling visas to Israeli nationals. The information did not come from a press conference or a parliamentary debate, but from immigration intelligence data covering applications approved through 30 November 2025. According to that data, Israel ranks fourth among recipients of Indonesia’s most restrictive visa category—behind Nigeria,…
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Indonesia must speak loudly: If the US can arrest Maduro, it must arrest Netanyahu
Indonesia’s response to the United States’ military assault on Venezuela was cautious to the point of invisibility. Jakarta expressed “deep concern,” offered vague warnings about dangerous precedents, and reaffirmed respect for sovereignty. It did not name Washington. It did not condemn the attack. It did not challenge the action. Indonesia…
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As 2026 begins, Indonesia and Tunisia look to move ties forward
As the calendar turned to 2026, Indonesia and Tunisia ushered in the new year with the launch of Diplomacy Briefing 2026 in Tunis — a series of planned engagements and priorities set by Indonesia’s embassy intended to guide bilateral relations over the next twelve months. While the event itself was…
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How Indonesia navigates rising tensions in Yemen
Indonesia’s response to the latest escalation in Yemen follows a familiar diplomatic pattern. After Saudi Arabia carried out an airstrike on a weapons shipment arriving from the United Arab Emirates at the Yemeni port of Al-Mukalla, Jakarta did not comment on the strike itself. Instead, it reiterated support for Yemen’s…
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On @israellovesindonesia and Israel’s growing online campaign in Indonesia
In recent months, as I continued investigating how pro-Israel narratives are being systematically injected into Indonesia’s social media ecosystem, I encountered yet another account demanding scrutiny. Operating alongside other digital efforts to sanitize Israel’s record, this account advances normalization not through debate or diplomacy, but through relentless repetition, emotional manipulation…
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Taking stock of Indonesia–Algeria cooperation in 2025
Just days before the end of 2025, Indonesia registered a new development in its relationship with Algeria when Pertamina Internasional EP, a unit of Indonesia’s state oil company, shipped one million barrels of Algerian crude to Jakarta from the Port of Arzew. Completed on 24 December, the delivery was the…
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Indonesia’s classrooms are not sites for Zionist social engineering
The spectacle of a foreign official discussing how to “change textbooks” in a sovereign country should be recognised for what it is: an assertion of ideological dominance. Recent remarks attributed to Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun— a Miami businessman, Chabad Hasid adherent, Trump campaign donor, and now the US Special Envoy to…
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Indonesia’s incremental re-engagement with Libya
A low-profile diplomatic meeting in Jakarta this month offered an instructive glimpse into how Indonesia is refining its engagement with North Africa and the wider Middle East. The Second Indonesia–Libya Joint Committee Meeting, held on 15 December 2025, did not produce dramatic announcements or sweeping pledges. Instead, it reflected a…
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Why Indonesia’s two-state stance works in Israel’s favour
Prabowo Subianto’s appearance in Pakistan this week followed a script that has been performed too many times to count. Standing beside Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, Indonesia’s president once again reaffirmed Jakarta’s support for a two-state solution as the answer to Gaza and Palestine. The words were familiar…
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King Abdullah’s visit to Jakarta: Key takeaways
King Abdullah II’s visit to Jakarta last week did not produce dramatic announcements, but it highlighted two converging diplomatic shifts. Indonesia was widening its engagement across the Middle East beyond its long-standing Gulf focus, while Jordan sought deeper ties in Asia to expand its economic and political options. The visit…
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Indonesia’s position on the Sudan conflict
As Sudan’s civil war continues with devastating humanitarian consequences, a quiet diplomatic conversation has begun thousands of miles away in Jakarta. Indonesia — the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, a rising economic actor, and one of the top contributors to United Nations peacekeeping forces — is considering how, and to what…
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Indonesia and Kuwait: A friendship stuck in neutral
On 31 October, 2025, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Anis Matta concluded a working visit to Kuwait City that quietly underscored a larger truth: despite 57 years of formal ties and a year since President Prabowo Subianto took office, Indonesia’s relationship with Kuwait has yet to move beyond polite…
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The ASEAN summit’s embrace of Trump’s Gaza plan is a moral failure
When the leaders of Southeast Asia gathered in Malaysia this week for the 47th ASEAN Summit, their message to the world was unmistakable: they support President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. In a moment that should have demanded moral clarity, ASEAN instead chose political convenience. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim,…
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Indonesia should not bow to the IOC over its Palestine stance
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to freeze dialogue with Indonesia and urge sports federations not to hold events in Jakarta exposes a troubling hypocrisy. Indonesia is being punished for refusing visas to Israeli athletes at the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships — a decision rooted not in hostility, but…
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Indonesia and Iraq: Quiet contacts, modest openings
Indonesia and Iraq rarely feature together in discussions of foreign policy. Their relationship has long been cordial but limited, defined more by polite exchanges than by active cooperation. In 2025, that pattern continued, though with a few modest steps suggesting a shared interest in keeping diplomatic and economic channels open.…
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How Israel’s disinformation exploits ambiguity in Indonesia’s Palestine stance
Indonesia has become the focus of a sophisticated Israeli disinformation campaign aimed at reshaping global perceptions of its stance on Israel and Palestine. The strategy is straightforward: amplify diplomatic ambiguity, manipulate perception, and create the impression that normalisation is inevitable, even before justice is secured. Recent events reveal how fragile…
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Why Prabowo’s presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit raises questions
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s recent appearance at the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, was meant to convey international solidarity and a commitment to resolving one of the world’s most protracted and painful conflicts. Yet despite its diplomatic intentions, Prabowo’s attendance raises significant concerns—about both the summit’s legitimacy and…
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Indonesia should prioritise stronger ties with Oman
Indonesia and Oman do not often share the international spotlight. Yet over the past year, the two countries have steadily widened their engagement in ways that suggest a more structured partnership is within reach. The process began in January, when the Majelis Ulama Indonesia hosted a delegation of Omani scholars…
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Welcoming Israel to the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta betrays Indonesia’s stand for Palestine
Indonesia has long claimed moral high ground in the Palestinian struggle. At the recent United Nations General Assembly, President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed Jakarta’s commitment to a two-state solution, condemned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and framed Palestine’s freedom as inseparable from justice. And yet, just weeks later, Indonesia is preparing…
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Do Rothschild ties explain Prabowo’s cautious tone on Israel?
In late September, a billboard in Israel set off a storm of speculation in Jakarta. The giant display, featuring President Prabowo Subianto alongside Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Zayed, and other Middle Eastern leaders, proclaimed support for a regional peace plan. To Indonesian audiences, the image was jarring. Indonesia,…
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Indonesia’s risky bet on Trump’s Gaza Plan
When Donald Trump announced his 20-point plan to “end” the Gaza war, several Muslim-majority states rushed to endorse it. Among them was Indonesia, a nation long viewed as an unwavering supporter of Palestinian aspirations. Jakarta’s decision to back the proposal was framed as constructive diplomacy — a sign of readiness…