The Dig: Nusantara Ep. 5 — Armed Conflicts, Guided Democracy
Jacobin Radio
Jacobin
4.7 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 15 June 2026
⏱️ 129 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The fifth episode in a series on the history of Indonesia: a hinge in the world system where colonialism and revolution have decisively shaped the trajectory of global history. This installment traces the armed conflicts—civil wars and then confrontations with the Dutch and British — that propelled Indonesia into Sukarno’s authoritarian Guided Democracy system and cascading economic crisis. Both the military and the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) became increasingly powerful forces on the eve of 1965–when the armed forces would slaughter the communists and inaugurate Suharto’s New Order. Featuring Rianne Subijanto, Made Supriatma, and Farabi Fakih.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of The Dig is brought to you by our listeners who support us at patreon.com |
| 0:05.6 | and by Haymarket Books. |
| 0:08.5 | We are living through the reshaping of the world. |
| 0:12.1 | Neighborhood raids and imperial aggression aim to create compliance and pacification. |
| 0:17.4 | But against the forces of fear and division, our communities are standing up with stunning acts of bravery and organization. |
| 0:26.4 | Old networks and tactics are being revived, and new alliances are being forged. |
| 0:32.4 | It's never been more urgent for us to come together and strengthen our movements by learning from one another. |
| 0:39.6 | This September 4th through 7th in Chicago joined thousands of activists, organizers, |
| 0:45.9 | abolitionists, and socialists at the Socialism Conference, the place to sharpen analysis, |
| 0:52.5 | hone strategy, and build community. |
| 0:55.8 | The Socialism 2026 program will feature hundreds of participatory discussions, |
| 1:02.6 | lectures, debates, and workshops. |
| 1:06.0 | Speakers will include Angela Y. Davis, Saul Williams, Amy Goodman, Dorothy Roberts, Olufemi-Taiwo, Sophie Lewis, |
| 1:16.9 | Sarah Jaffe, and many, many more. Brought to you by Haymarket Books, visit |
| 1:23.3 | socialismconference.org to learn more and register by June 19th for the discounted early bird rate. |
| 1:41.3 | Welcome to The Dig, a podcast from Jacobin Magazine. |
| 1:45.0 | My name is Daniel Denver, and I'm broadcasting on the road, currently from Vienna, Austria. |
| 1:53.0 | This is the fifth episode of Nusantara, a series on the history of Indonesia. |
| 1:59.0 | Nusantara is a word that refers to the vast geographic archipelago |
| 2:04.3 | that only through centuries of colonial capitalism and the struggles against it became a nation, |
| 2:10.5 | one whose boundaries, identities, and purpose remain contested to this day. |
| 2:21.5 | This episode picks up where the last one left off, |
... |
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