The presidential palace is supposed to resemble a garuda – a giant mythical eagle – when finished. For now, however, the form remains vague, the half-finished shell of the building still encased by cranes and scaffolding. Drive up on to a ridge that overlooks the city, and you see blobs of construction connected by dirt roads but otherwise adrift in a sea of green eucalyptus, on what was until recently a pulp and paper plantation.

Welcome to Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, which is supposed to be inaugurated on August 17, the country’s independence day.

Foreign Policy