Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia

Image source: republicoft.com

By Jennie S. Bev

Politics and economics make an incredibly sexy partnership. Their erotic affair is based on influencing people, getting them to respond to desires. According to Thomas Sowell, a Stanford-based economist, political decisions tend to be categorical or unconditional, while economic decisions tend to be incremental or progressive. Citing Otto Von Bismarck, politics is the art of the possible. Thus, how well politicians and economists work together to create public prosperity is the measure of a successful government.

In the case of the United States, a successful government translates to one that spreads its influence in the most effective way possible. In Indonesia’s case, success means surviving the challenges posed by the wave of globalization. Read the rest of this entry »

Image sources: www.librarything.com and news.harvard.edu

By Evan A. Laksmana

“Clausewitz does not say much about civil-military relations in On War. Where he does address the subject, [he] is not talking about not politicians or civilians, per se.”Antulio J. Echevarria1

“Clausewitz did write a lot about civil-military relations. Even in On War.” Peter Paret2

“Clausewitz did NOT write about civil-military relations, and… There is a silence in On War, except to tell us that war is the servant and ‘Politik’ is the master.”Colin S. Gray3 Read the rest of this entry »

Image source: nirwansyahputra.wordpress.com

By Evan A. Laksmana

Last Friday, President Yudhoyono, while officiating the latest war monuments in Jakarta, asked that all of us cherish and reflect on Indonesia’s military history, reminding us that while we may prefer “soft power”, we should also be “ready for war”.

Here, the three monuments were meant to commemorate our “struggles” with Malaysia, East Timor and the Dutch. Read the rest of this entry »