REG-DIP

Under Russia’s presidency in 2024, BRICS, which is an informal association consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and together with its five new members, is being discussed, beyond measure, most often focusing on its expansion and as a mechanism for uplifting the Global South. By strategically forging new alliances, for instance, African members can unlock their individual and collective potential on the global stage. 

For decades, the US dollar has enjoyed unparalleled dominance as the world’s reserve currency, underpinning global trade and finance. However, its unchallenged reign might be approaching an end. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports a steady decline in the dollar’s share of global foreign-exchange reserves, underscoring a growing appetite for alternatives. 

In the northeastern Italian city of Trieste, a construction project intended as a model for Europe is getting underway. On the southeastern outskirts of the city, eight buildings with social housing dating from the early 1950s will be demolished and replaced by energy-efficient apartments. 

Obviously, the devasting Pol Pot regime plunged Cambodia into genocide, armed conflict, destruction and isolation during the dark period between 1970s to 1990s. This tragic history left Cambodia in social, economic and political ruins. 

Moral judgment in political policy is more powerful in creating public perception than the speed with which academic papers advise the public. The national interest led by the president is often discredited in two contradictory poles; in favor of capitalism or universal humanitarian principles. Such assessments are a consequence of the pitfalls of the contemporary political system that has theorized a political ideology of ‘favoring’ and ‘disfavoring’. Among government policies, foreign policy is very close to ethical questions and even moral dilemmas. 

As the nation’s capital, Jakarta faces severe traffic problems. The congestion is even being normalized as part of the consequences of a great economic recovery. Being the hub of national economic activity, Jakarta appears to have a magnetic pull on everything nearby. Due to space limitations, workers in Jakarta are compelled to live in surrounding cities such as Depok, Bekasi, Bogor, and Tangerang. They travel to Jakarta in the morning to work and return home in the afternoon or evening. Throughout the past three years, the number of newcomers in Jakarta has exceeded 100 billion annually, and it is recorded that the number of motorized vehicles in Jakarta has continued to increase in the last three years, reaching 26.37 million units in 2022. According to projections made by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Traffic Directorate, the capital city’s current traffic congestion levels have already increased by more than 50% from pre-Covid-19 levels. 

In the 21st century, the South China Sea has become one of the most strategic and conflict-prone regions. This is due to the traditional security perspective that the South China Sea area as an important part of the Asia-Pacific region is likely to be contested by several countries, which can result in tensions between countries. This is emphasized by Mikael Weissmann in (Weissmann, 2015) that this region has long been predicted as a potential place to become a conflict area because of its strategic position in terms of geography and geopolitics.

Indonesia is blessed with its geographical position on the equator, with abundant potential resources for renewable energy, especially solar energy. Renewable energy must replace fossil fuels in various economic sectors to prevent catastrophic global warming. Moreover, Indonesia’s reliance on fossil fuels has reached a crisis stage, with people unable to continue their everyday life without fossil fuel products.

During the recent Raisina Dialogue, jointly organized by the Observer Research Foundation and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, which stands as India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, significant focus was placed on addressing the most pressing global challenges. Discussions centered on topics such as global defense mechanisms, the “grey zone,” New Wars, and global intelligence sharing. The overarching theme for this year’s dialogue, “CHATURANGA: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create,” guided conversations across six thematic pillars: the technological frontier, peace with the planet, war and peace dynamics, decolonizing multilateralism, the post-2030 agenda, and defending democracy.

Countries all throughout the world struggle with providing equal opportunities and positions in regards to women when compared to their male counterparts (Brennan & Elkink, 2015). The People’s Republic of China is not an exception to this trend. In order to combat gender inequality in politics, a quota for women cadres was introduced in 1995. This would ensure that at least one woman holds a head or deputy position in regional governments (Jiang et al, 2023). 

Recently we have seen two important activities of the Global South, notably stronger engagement at the G20 Summit and bigger influence at the G77 Summit, which after the gradual expansion of this coalition actually means the format of “G134 plus China”. It is important to ask in what sense these activities are indicative of the growing significance of the Global South. Therefore, it is relevant to place these two Summits in the broader framework of global interactions, in the framework of other Global South summits and initiatives that have expanded and strengthened in recent times.