Special forces

• TurbineOne Inc ., a leader in government Machine Learning (ML) that is simple-to-use and edge-first, announced today it raised $15 million in its Series-A funding round.
• The round is led by Bessemer Ventures Partners with participation from previous investors The General Partnership and XYZ Ventures.
• Pallas Ventures, a national security focused investment firm, also joined this round.
• “With the backing from a visionary and audacious team of investors, TurbineOne will continue its mission to provide American service members with decision advantage,” said TurbineOne Co-Founder and CEO Ian Kalin.

• CARY, N.C., March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 25, 2024, BookLife rendered its assessment of the new book published by Washington Comix, Black Justice: The Awakening.
• Publishers Weekly has been reviewing self-published books since 2010 when it began its PW Select program.
• Black Justice received high grades with an A for cover art, A for Design and typography, A for Illustrations, A- for editing, and A- for marketing copy.
• The graphic novel, Black Justice: The Awakening is scheduled for release on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, on Amazon Kindle, and April 16, 2024, for paperback.

• At 105 proof, the “Howitzer Strength” whiskey, priced at $125, allocates a portion of proceeds from each sale to nonprofit organizations.
• “For nearly a decade, Heritage Distilling has demonstrated unwavering support for our military heroes and their families.
• “Patrons who buy this product will be directly supporting our efforts.”
  “The generous support we receive from the Special Operations Salute Whiskey by Heritage Distilling Co. extends far beyond financial assistance to the Honor Foundation.
• For more information and to purchase the Special Operations Salute Whiskeys and Heritage’s other award-winning spirits, visit heritagedistilling.com .

• The runner-up, Anies Baswedan, appears to have secured around 24 to 25% of the vote, while Ganjar Pranowo is sitting on just 17%.
• How did he achieve this remarkable turnaround, and what kind of leader will he be for the country?
• Read more:
  Cute grandpa or authoritarian in waiting: who is Prabowo Subianto, the favourite to win Indonesia's presidential election?

Prabowo’s winning alliance with Jokowi

• Jokowi was barred by a two-term limit from running again.
• So, this time – to the surprise of many – he decided to throw his very considerable electoral weight behind his former rival, Prabowo.
• Although Jokowi claimed to be neutral in the campaign and never explicitly endorsed any candidate, his position became clear when it was announced that Prabowo’s vice-presidential running mate was Jokowi’s oldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

A major political shake-up

• Because Jokowi is a member of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri’s PDI-P party, his supporters would normally have backed PDI-P’s presidential candidate, Ganjar.
• But Jokowi sabotaged Ganjar’s campaign by implicitly supporting his rival, leaving Ganjar to run a distant third.
• Given the controversies behind the Prabowo campaign, the losers are likely to challenge the result in the Constitutional Court.

So, what’s next?

• Under the Indonesian system, he must wait until October to be sworn in.
• Second, the democratic regression that marked Jokowi’s decade in office is only likely to increase under Prabowo.
• If he eventually breaks with Jokowi, it could force another major – and turbulent – reconfiguration of Indonesia’s political elite.
• Read more:
  Even with a 30% quota in place, Indonesian women face an uphill battle running for office

Implications for the West

• Dealing with all this will create challenges for the West, but there are other problems that diplomats will have to confront.
• The human rights abuses Prabowo is alleged to be responsible for as a former Special Forces commander – including in East Timor and Papua – are serious.
• They meant he was denied a visa to the US for many years, and could lead to protests if he visits Western countries as president.

Tim Lindsey receives funding from the Australian Research Council.