Indonesia, home to the world’s largest nickel reserves, struggles to achieve its EV dreams (February 3, 2025, Rest of World)
Indonesia has set a target to become one of the world leaders in EV battery production by 2027. It opened Southeast Asia’s first EV battery facility last July, a joint venture between Hyundai, LG, and the Indonesia Battery Corporation. Last year, Elon Musk declined Indonesia’s proposal to set up a battery factory in the country due to logistical challenges.
MENA is open to work: Tackling the jobs deficit (January 30, 2025, World Bank)
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a large reservoir of untapped human resources, with the world’s highest unemployment rate among youth and the lowest participation of females in the labor force. Desirable jobs, defined as high-paying or formal jobs, are few, and private employment is overwhelmingly of low added value.
Timor-Leste’s financial cliff draws closer in 2025 (January 27, 2025, East Asia Forum)
Despite recognising a potential financial disaster, Timor-Leste's government passed a 2025 budget that accelerates the country’s rush towards a fiscal cliff instead of mitigating it. The economy relies heavily on an unsustainable withdrawal rate from the Petroleum Fund which is on track for depletion. Economic salvation hangs on the development of the Greater Sunrise natural gas field, yet the project remains stagnant through 2024 amid disputes over processing location and other concerns including high rates of absolute poverty and food insecurity.
Tokyo drift: what happens when a city stops being the future? (January 14, 2025, The Guardian)
Tokyo remains, in the world’s imagination, a place of sophistication and wealth. But with economic revival forever distant, ‘tourism pollution’ seems the only viable plan.
Economic Inequality Seen as Major Challenge Around the World (January 9, 2025, Pew Research Center)
A new Pew Research Center survey of 36 nations finds widespread public concern about economic inequality. And when asked what leads to this inequality, most people across the countries surveyed point to the intersection of wealth and politics.
The fate of a ranting driver raises doubts about the “new” Uzbekistan (January 23, 2025, The Economist) (Subscription required)
The jailing of dissenters is nothing new in Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s most populous country, where faulting the president can land you in trouble. What is unusual is the recent public outcry after the imprisonment of an ordinary motorist, who found himself behind bars after his tirade over fuel shortages went viral.
The United Arab Emirates’ AI Ambitions (January 24, 2025, Center for Strategic & International Studies)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is placing enormous bets on artificial intelligence (AI) to diversify its economy and become the world’s next technological hub. As the United States develops its strategy for global AI leadership, the UAE presents a critical test case for engaging with technologically ambitious countries seeking to balance relations with both the United States and China—a challenge that will shape the United States’ broader approach to technological partnerships and export control policies.
The Maldives: The Future of Climate Change (January 7, 2025, Foreign Policy in Focus)
A prime example of the existential risks posed by climate change is the Maldives, a republic of 1,192 coral islands dispersed around the Indian Ocean. The Maldives, which have an average height of only 1.5 meters above sea level, are particularly susceptible to catastrophic weather events and increasing sea levels.
Inside Russia, A Snapshot Into Hopes, Fears, And Gripes Of A Society At War (January 23, 2025, Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty)
President Vladimir Putin's increasingly autocratic rule has stifled dissent, choked off political opposition, and criminalized criticism of the armed forces -- or even open debate about the conduct or wisdom of the war. The repression has made it difficult for sociologists, opinion pollsters, and journalists to understand the sentiments of average Russians, particularly in provinces outside of big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Atheists say Indonesia denies right to live religion-free (February 6, 2025, Deutsche Welle)
A rare legal effort to secure rights for atheists and nonbelievers was quashed last month by Indonesia's Constitutional Court, which ruled that a citizen must profess a faith, even a minority one, on official documents, and that marriage must conform to religion.