Joseph Rachman


Joseph Rachman is the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly Southeast Asia Brief. He is a freelance journalist based in Jakarta.

Articles by Joseph Rachman
A car with "ASEAN" written on the side drives past a crowd with a Malaysian flag sticking out of the window.
A car with "ASEAN" written on the side drives past a crowd with a Malaysian flag sticking out of the window.
A man in a canoe rides past houses in flood water.
A man in a canoe rides past houses in flood water.
Six people in suits sit on one side of a wooden table across from ten men also in suits, with the flags of Myanmar and China atop the table in front of a Chinese mural scene.
Six people in suits sit on one side of a wooden table across from ten men also in suits, with the flags of Myanmar and China atop the table in front of a Chinese mural scene.
A police official looks on between national flags during the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Vientiane, Laos, on Oct. 9, 2024.
A police official looks on between national flags during the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Vientiane, Laos, on Oct. 9, 2024.
Students from several universities protest against the parliament’s plan to purchase SUVs for lawmakers at the National University of East Timor (UNTL) in Dili on Sept. 15.
Students from several universities protest against the parliament’s plan to purchase SUVs for lawmakers at the National University of East Timor (UNTL) in Dili on Sept. 15.
A woman rides a motorbike wearing a red helmet and face mask by a strip of lit-up storefronts.
A woman rides a motorbike wearing a red helmet and face mask by a strip of lit-up storefronts.
Protesters wind up to throw objects at police on an Indonesian street. Some wear motorcycle helmets or face masks. Rocks and other debris are strewn across the street; a police officer with a riot shield is visible in the background.
Protesters wind up to throw objects at police on an Indonesian street. Some wear motorcycle helmets or face masks. Rocks and other debris are strewn across the street; a police officer with a riot shield is visible in the background.
Prabowo Subianto is seen from the chest upward as he salutes something ahead of him. He wears a dark gray suit, blue tie, and a black cap with a flat top.
Prabowo Subianto is seen from the chest upward as he salutes something ahead of him. He wears a dark gray suit, blue tie, and a black cap with a flat top.
Malaysian Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz speaks during a press conference.
Malaysian Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz speaks during a press conference.
Protesters hold up umbrellas to shield themselves from strong splashes of water gushing from somewhere off to the right side of the image. Most of the demonstrators are young adults, and some wear helmets and surgical masks. Water droplets splatter around the entire image.
Protesters hold up umbrellas to shield themselves from strong splashes of water gushing from somewhere off to the right side of the image. Most of the demonstrators are young adults, and some wear helmets and surgical masks. Water droplets splatter around the entire image.
Six men perch in the bed of a pickup truck as they participate in a protest. Some wave flags while another speaks into a microphone. Other protesters are visible milling about on the street around the truck.
Six men perch in the bed of a pickup truck as they participate in a protest. Some wave flags while another speaks into a microphone. Other protesters are visible milling about on the street around the truck.
Demonstrators participate in a protest against a move to change election rules to contradict a Constitutional Court ruling in front of the East Java Provincial Parliament in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Demonstrators participate in a protest against a move to change election rules to contradict a Constitutional Court ruling in front of the East Java Provincial Parliament in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Pro-divorce protesters take part in a demonstration in front of the Senate building in Pasay.
Pro-divorce protesters take part in a demonstration in front of the Senate building in Pasay.
Signage indicating directions at Nusantara, the future capital city of Indonesia, in East Kalimantan.
Signage indicating directions at Nusantara, the future capital city of Indonesia, in East Kalimantan.
New Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (C) smiles next to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (R) during the swearing-in ceremony at the Istana in Singapore.
New Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (C) smiles next to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (R) during the swearing-in ceremony at the Istana in Singapore.