This article critically examines the legal foundations of freedom of navigation in Indonesia’s archipelagic waters, responding to recent strategic debates and policy critiques that question Indonesia’s regulatory framework. It challenges the assertion that Indonesia’s approach to archipelagic sea lanes and military transit is inconsistent with international law, arguing instead that such critiques often conflate strategic...Read More

Arie Afriansyah, Professor of International Law, Director of Center for Sustainable Ocean Policy, Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia Putu George Matthew Simbolon, Ph.D Candidate, Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia The World Trade Organisation Agreement on Fishery Subsidies (WTO FSA) entered into force on 15 September 2025. This landmark instrument is novel because it integrates concepts of...Read More

“The security development is also affected by the great power; the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula conflict will affect the security and stability in the region.” These were the words of Indonesian Defence minister Prabowo Subianto at the 6th Annual Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, in Bangkok, Thailand. The newly elected Indonesian Defence Minister mentioned...Read More

Over the past five years, local media in Indonesia has been flooded with images of Susi Pudjiastuti, the former fisheries minister, overseeing the sinking of illegal fishing boats. The semi-military hat Ms Susi often wore on these occasions signified her position as head of the Presidential Task Force 115, which led other security forces in...Read More

There was another celebration at the Indonesian Embassy in London earlier this week. The reason? Indonesia had been successfully re-elected as a council member of the International Maritime Organisation, C category for 2020-2021. This successful candidacy takes us back to the 2014 presidential campaign, when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo proclaimed his bright vision to make...Read More