“Dark Indonesia” and Astroturfed Subversion + More

21-04-2025: Since February, Indonesia has been beset by protests largely led by students, so-called civil society organisations, some labour unions and K-pop fans. Protests emerged in many cities throughout the Indonesian archipelago including Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Solo, Semarang, Bali, Samarinda, Banjarmasin and South Sumatra. The protestors were reportedly delivering a “red report card” on the first 100 days of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. They also condemned Prabowo’s “Ndasmu!” remark towards critics of the Free Nutritious Meal program.[1] “Ndasmu” is an impolite Javanese word meaning “your head”, which perhaps implies that the protestors’ actions were the result of something that existed in their heads only. The slogan “Dark Indonesia” under which the protests took place, is a stab at Prabowo’s election slogan of “Golden Indonesia” (Indonesia Emas), which aims to advance the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) to a sovereign, prosperous nation by 2045, the centennial of its independence won in 1945.[2]

“Dark Indonesia” and Astroturfed Subversion

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Beyond the Barriers: Security and Segregation in Gaza

While listening to an interview with David Petraeus on Iran International (run by Iranian opposition), I was struck by his mention of the “gated communities” concept for post-war Gaza (17:37). As the former commander of Multi-National Force – Iraq during the Iraq War, Petraeus oversaw various security strategies, including the implementation of walled-off neighborhoods designed to control movement and reduce violence. However, it appears that the U.S. military ultimately abandoned the idea, likely due to growing resistance from Iraqis, who viewed the barriers not as security measures but as a form of forced isolation.

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Zeteo’s Newest Contributors

Zeteo’s Newest Contributors – Thanks to You!

JASON STANLEY
New column: Fascism Watch

Jason is an award-winning author and currently a professor of philosophy at Yale. An expert in authoritarian governments, Jason recently decided to move to Canada, calling the Trump administration ​“a fascist regime​.” He will begin teaching at the University of Toronto​ in the fall. Jason is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them and Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future.

In his new Zeteo column, Fascism Watch, Jason will write about the growth of authoritarianism under Trump and the threats of fascism around the world. Stay tuned for his new column, coming soon! For now, check out Jason’s piece from last year, Political Violence Makes The Task Of Stopping Trump And Fascism Much Harder.

Previously:

Yale professor who studies fascism fleeing US to work in Canada +

Imperialism Waging Genocidal Wars Against Humanity: ‘Israel Lobby as Puppet Master’ Theory

Editorial Comment:  I refer readers to this scholarly, in-depth article by Niloufer Bhagwat that correctly positions Zionism in the imperialist hierarchy: “Contemporary Zionism Pursues its Assigned Role as an Advanced Military and Intelligence Base of Anglo-American, European Imperialism.”

She states in the introduction:

“The real nature of Zionism and the  Zionist Israeli project, which is closely allied to and an extension of Anglo-American and European Imperialist policy and global reach and constitutes an advanced military and intelligence base in occupied Palestine, in the heart of the Middle East, aimed at controlling governments and resources of a wider region, including Iran, the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Central and South Africa, and South Asia and Eurasia… this nature has not been analyzed in depth by jurists, with a few exceptions, for several reasons.”

Zionism is not controlling America or Europe. It is a proxy force deployed by imperialist governments to serve their interests.  The Zionist lobby has undeniable and formidable power, but it exists and its influence is sustained precisely because it serves empire.  

Imperialism Waging Genocidal Wars Against Humanity: ‘Israel Lobby as Puppet Master’ Theory