The BRICS Bank: Now Comes the Hard Part
No sooner had the dust settled from the World Cup than Brazil played host to the five leaders of the BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. An immediate outcome of the Fortaleza summit was the formation of the New Development Bank, a development finance institution to rival the World Bank. The group also announced a currency reserve pool as an alternative to the IMF. Done right, both initiatives could change the institutional landscape for multilateral development financing.
Ujian Nasional: Sebuah Kebijakan Yang Tidak Bijak
Dikirimkan ke Tribun Kaltim, 17 Juli 2014, cetak 13 Agustus 2014.
Ujian Nasional (UN) tahun 2014 telah selesai beberapa bulan silam, akan tetapi analisis terhadap kebijakan UN terakhir baru saja dimulai. Beberapa dekade pelaksanaan ujian nasional dengan berbagai bentuk telah menimbulkan setidaknya tiga rahasia kecil yang terus dipendam dan seakan dinisbikan oleh pemerintah. Berdasarkan data di tahun 2014, terdapat indikasi kecurangan masal pelaksanaan UN, pengatrolan masal nilai rapor sekolah, dan kesenjangan kualitas pengajaran.
Sekedar menyegarkan ingatan, di tulisan terdahulu, saya membahas bahwa UN tidak akan pernah ideal apabila proses belajar mengajar di sekolah tidak ideal. Proses belajar mengajar ini dipengaruhi oleh infrastruktur, guru, kurikulum, buku, perpustakaan, dan sarana informasi penunjang. Tulisan kali ini akan lebih membahas proses penilaian rapor sekolah dan kesenjangan kualitas pengajaran berdasarkan beberapa wawancara dalam kurun waktu tiga bulan dengan para kepala sekolah dan guru di berbagai wilayah Kalimantan Timur.
Tulisan tentang UN di Tribun Kaltim, April 2014
Emerging Cyber Capabilities in the Asia Pacific: Potential Military Impact
Synopsis
The Asia Pacific comprises diverse countries with conflicting ideologies and different states of development. Given the variety of challenges and tensions over territorial disputes and geopolitical uncertainties across the region, a careful analysis of cyber capabilities and their possible impact would be valuable.
Indonesia’s Disputed 2014 Presidential elections: What next?
Synopsis
Rival presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto have both claimed victory in Indonesia’s recently concluded presidential election. While the standoff is unprecedented in Indonesia and created uncertainty, the issue can be settled by the responsible electoral institutions. Of greater concern is the rivalry between Jokowi’s patron former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and the outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Japan’s Rising Security Challenges
Synopsis
Japan’s decision to reinterpret its pacific constitution to allow the right to collective defence has angered China. It is crafting a more active role in security and defence in response to rising instability in Northeast Asia.
Abe Doctrine: US-Japan Alliance, International Law and ASEAN
Synopsis
Japan PM Shinzo Abe’s speech in Singapore highlighted three key principles for its foreign policy - uphold intenational law, strengthen US-Japan security relations and enhance relations with ASEAN. They signal Japan’s intention to be a contributor of peace in the region.