Category: English Edition
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The Veranda of Mecca: Faith, Peace, and the Remaking of Aceh after the Tsunami
A forthcoming book by Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad exploring how faith, memory, and peacebuilding remade Aceh after the 2004 tsunami and the 2005 Helsinki Peace Agreement. Coming soon on Amazon worldwide.
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Southeast Asia Strategic Intelligence Update July 2026: Indonesia, Myanmar, South China Sea, and ASEAN Under Pressure
Southeast Asia enters the second half of 2026 under the weight of overlapping geopolitical and economic pressures. Negotiations over the South China Sea Code of Conduct remain stalled despite Philippine efforts to accelerate an agreement before the end of its ASEAN chairmanship. Myanmar’s military-led political transition has formalized without ending the country’s civil war, while…
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Inside the Shadow State: CIA, Mole Hunting, and the Hidden War Within Intelligence Systems
Behind every modern state exists an invisible world where information, secrecy, and power determine strategic survival. Intelligence agencies such as the CIA operate within this hidden architecture, protecting national interests while confronting threats from outside and within. This essay explores the evolution of modern espionage, from Cold War intelligence battles to contemporary challenges involving insider…
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Pustaka Al-Azhar: Preserving Patani’s Islamic Intellectual Heritage Through Jawi Manuscripts and Traditional Knowledge
During a journey from Songkhla to Kota Bharu on June 15, 2026, Prof. Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad visited Pustaka Al-Azhar, a small Islamic bookstore in Southern Thailand. What appeared to be an ordinary bookstore revealed a deeper story about the survival of Patani’s intellectual tradition. This essay explores how Arabic and Jawi books continue to preserve…
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Southeast Asia Strategic Outlook 2026: Hormuz Crisis, ASEAN Security Shift, China-US Rivalry, and the Future of Regional Order
Southeast Asia enters mid-2026 facing one of the most complex strategic environments in recent decades. The region is simultaneously managing the impact of the Strait of Hormuz energy crisis, intensifying US-China strategic competition, unresolved South China Sea tensions, and Myanmar’s prolonged internal conflict. This KBA13 Insight Update examines how ASEAN states are responding through a…
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Indonesia at the Crossroads 2026: Rupiah Crisis, Prabowo’s Power Architecture, Papua Conflict, and the Future of the Republic
Indonesia enters 2026 at a decisive historical moment where economic pressure, institutional transformation, security challenges, and geopolitical competition converge. This KBA13 National Update examines Indonesia beyond daily headlines by mapping deeper structural signals behind the rupiah’s pressure, fiscal vulnerabilities, governance challenges, corruption risks, and the transformation of national security institutions. The report explores the evolving…
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The Age of Compute Power: How AI, Semiconductor Geopolitics, and Chip Wars Are Reshaping Global Power
The twenty-first century is entering a new geopolitical era defined not only by military power, energy resources, or economic size, but by the capacity to compute intelligence at scale. Artificial intelligence has transformed from a technological product into the foundational infrastructure of global civilization. This essay introduces the concept of the Compute-Power Doctrine: the idea…
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Southeast Asia Strategic Outlook 2026: ASEAN, South China Sea Tensions, Prabowo’s Economic Doctrine, and the Future of Regional Order
Southeast Asia enters June 2026 at a critical strategic moment where political instability, maritime competition, economic nationalism, and digital transformation converge. This KBA13 Insight Strategic Weekly Brief examines the evolving regional landscape through an intelligence-driven perspective. The analysis explores ASEAN’s institutional challenges under the Philippine chairmanship, rising tensions in the South China Sea, Indonesia’s economic…
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One World in the Planetary Era: Kishore Mahbubani, Global Convergence, and the Future of Civilization
The 21st century is no longer defined merely by globalization but by the emergence of a planetary civilization. In this essay, I explore Kishore Mahbubani’s concept of “One World” and the logic of global convergence through geopolitics, technology, economics, and human aspiration. Drawing from The Great Convergence, Has the West Lost It?, and Has China…