By TEGUH ANANTAWIKRAMA
JAKARTA, Sept 12 – The world feels unmoored. Across Asia, riots and political turmoil spread; Europe grapples with economic stagnation; the United States wrestles with division and overreach. Great powers look fragile, prompting many to suggest we are living through a “world reset.”
But resets are deliberate. What we see today is not a coordinated redesign of the global order. It is something messier: the slow unravelling of old certainties and the survival of the fittest in a harsher, multipolar age.
Everyone is Losing
Europe faces demographic decline and an unhealthy reliance on imported energy. America, stretched thin abroad, is increasingly paralyzed by domestic polarization. Asia’s giants—China, India, Japan—struggle under economic headwinds and unresolved rivalries.
Rather than a single victor emerging, we witness collective erosion. The great powers, once anchors of stability, now appear as sources of fragility.
The New Winners
Yet chaos creates its own beneficiaries. Commodity exporters from the Middle East to Latin America gain leverage as supply chains wobble. Defense industries thrive as states arm themselves for uncertain futures. And non-state actors—whether extremist groups or decentralized digital networks—flourish when trust in governments collapses.
But these are fragmented gains, not the foundations of a new world order. The future will be shaped less by size than by agility—the ability to adapt quickly and seize fleeting opportunities.
Indonesia as a Middle Power
This is where middle powers matter. Indonesia, with its strategic geography, vast domestic market, and tradition of consensus-building, is positioned to act as a stabilizer in turbulent times. Sitting astride vital maritime routes, with a fast-growing digital economy, Indonesia is increasingly a bridge between East and West, North and South.
In a fractured global landscape, it can serve as a pragmatic connector: not seeking hegemony, but ensuring that dialogue, trade, and cooperation remain possible.
Survival, Not Reset
The reality is sobering. We are not moving toward a neatly designed “reset.” Instead, we are in a contest of resilience—where those who adapt, endure, and innovate will set the tone for the next era.
For middle powers like Indonesia, this is not a peripheral moment but a historic opening. In a world where everyone seems to be losing, the fittest survivors may not be the traditional giants, but the agile nations that turn crisis into opportunity.
About the Author
Teguh Anantawikrama is Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), where he leads initiatives in Technology Transformation, MSMEs, and Digitalization. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Indonesia Tourism Investors Club, a platform dedicated to strengthening investment in Indonesia’s tourism sector.
An alumnus of the University of Indonesia with both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Communication, Teguh has spent his career at the intersection of business, policy, and community empowerment. He actively champions digital innovation, sustainable investment, and cross-sector collaboration as essential tools for inclusive national growth.
Through his leadership roles, Teguh has become a strong advocate for positioning Indonesia as a middle power—one that can leverage its strategic geography, vast domestic market, and entrepreneurial spirit to thrive in a rapidly changing global order.
- TNS NEWS