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
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.
Vietnamese electric vehicle brand VinFast displays the VF7 EV during the Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta on Feb. 24.
Vietnamese electric vehicle brand VinFast displays the VF7 EV during the Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta on Feb. 24.
Members of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party pray outside the Palace of Justice (background), as they await the Federal Court’s decision on Kelantan state’s sharia law criminal enactment, in Putrajaya.
Members of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party pray outside the Palace of Justice (background), as they await the Federal Court’s decision on Kelantan state’s sharia law criminal enactment, in Putrajaya.
A modern-looking plaza is seen beneath a partially cloudy sky. The shops lining either side of the walkway are closed, dark behind their glass windows, and a hotel building looms in the background, with green plants hanging from its balconies. No people are visible either in the plaza or in the hotel.
A modern-looking plaza is seen beneath a partially cloudy sky. The shops lining either side of the walkway are closed, dark behind their glass windows, and a hotel building looms in the background, with green plants hanging from its balconies. No people are visible either in the plaza or in the hotel.
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (left), alongside vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, speaks to supporters at an event in Jakarta on Feb. 14.
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (left), alongside vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, speaks to supporters at an event in Jakarta on Feb. 14.
Passengers wait for information about their flights at Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila.
Passengers wait for information about their flights at Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stands in the middle of a crowd of supporters on the street, their hands reaching out to him as he smiles. Razak wears a suit and glasses as he stands outside a courthouse.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stands in the middle of a crowd of supporters on the street, their hands reaching out to him as he smiles. Razak wears a suit and glasses as he stands outside a courthouse.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators listen to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speak during a rally at the Bukit Jalil indoor stadium in Kuala Lumpu.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators listen to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speak during a rally at the Bukit Jalil indoor stadium in Kuala Lumpu.
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming stand beside each other, wearing matching turquoise bathrobes. Prabowo, a middle-aged man, gestures with an open hand as he speaks to Gibran, a younger man in his 30s.
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming stand beside each other, wearing matching turquoise bathrobes. Prabowo, a middle-aged man, gestures with an open hand as he speaks to Gibran, a younger man in his 30s.
A coal factory is seen from a distance, with five smokestacks spitting smoke into the sky at dusk. Power line cables snake across the foreground, blocking part of the factory building.
A coal factory is seen from a distance, with five smokestacks spitting smoke into the sky at dusk. Power line cables snake across the foreground, blocking part of the factory building.