Reflections from afar on the escalation of ideological warfare in the United States. by Max Lane.

The United States, under Trump and likely for the foreseeable future, is on a dominate-the-world-totally (and space) trajectory. This is a consequence of the economic situation where imperialism (as the highest stage of capitalism) is now confronted with intensifying contradictions, whose symptoms are the various crisis on the imperial periphery of Southern Europe and the […]

Why Australia is an imperialist country by Max Lane

Australia is a small country of 25 million people. It ranks between 12th to 14th in the world in terms of the overall size of its economy. Although the gap between it and the large population, industrialised countries is substantial. Its military spending, ranking also around 12th in the world, therefore matches its ranking in […]

Indonesia: 20 Years After Suharto, Is Something Starting Anew? Comment piece on Verso Books blog by Max Lane

“Suharto came to power in 1965 in events that brought this contestation to an end, by burying it via a genocidal wave of systematic mass killing and terror, repression, and a drastic dictatorship over historical memory. The 33 years of Suharto’s rule, therefore, in some ways represents 100% of the existence of the nation-state now […]

NGEPAS VILLAGE BOOKS AND ART SPACE LIBRARY OPENING SOON

Hi everybody, Hi to all our 97 donors. First, I would like to announce that building the Library, receiving the books and shelving them is completed. We still need to arrange the books better on the shelves and create a catalogue. However, we will be ready to organise a soft opening for the Library and […]

A New Ideological Contestation Emerging in Indonesia? (Article by Max Lane)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  A long period of ideological vacuum in mainstream politics came to an end in the lead-up to the 2014 presidential elections and was further confirmed in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections.  This was initially reflected in the different stances of 2014 presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto on issues such […]

The Politics of Wages and Indonesia’s Trade Unions (Article by Max Lane.)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.  In 2015, all unions opposed a new regulation on wages that restricted the use of the dignified standard of living condition.  In the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections, a coalition of unions signed a Political Contract with one set of candidates who promised wage increases above those mandated by recent government regulations. […]

The Further Erosion of an Indonesian Political Taboo (Article) by Max Lane

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  On 16-17 September 2017, groups opposed to alternative perspectives on the events of 30 September 1965 (G-30S/PKI) and its aftermath, mobilised to disrupt a seminar held in Jakarta.  These were the same groups that mobilised against ethnic Chinese Christian former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in late 2016 to early […]