Indonesia-India BrahMos deal buys Jakarta conflict insurance

Indonesia has become the third Southeast Asian nation – after Vietnam and the Philippines – to buy the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system jointly developed by India and Russia. Analysts say the missiles will play a vital role in protecting Indonesia’s strategic waterways from becoming collateral damage in the event of a future great-power conflict. The deal was signed on Tuesday during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day state visit to Indonesia, during which he held bilateral...