Seeing the Communist past through the lens of a CIA consultant: Guy J. Pauker on the Indonesian Communist Party before and after the ‘1965 Affair’

Abstract

This paper explores Guy J. Pauker’s works on Indonesia in the 1960s, particularly the ones concerning the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) before and after the killing of six top Army officers on 30 September 1965 (called the ‘1965 Affair’ for short). Of Western scholars working on Indonesia in 1960s, Pauker was indeed infamous. Being a consultant for the CIA‐sponsored RAND Corporation has made his academic integrity doubtful. In addition, his active roles in several historical events in Indonesia in the 1960s have given his scholarship a bad reputation. Consequently, it is his name, rather than his works, that has often been mentioned and associated with what happened in Indonesia in the 1960s. However, this paper argues that precisely because of such a position, his pre‐‘1965 Affair’ works were to give a cool report and analysis of the current history, through which one can understand better the PKI before it was exterminated due to being accused of masterminding the killing of six top Army officers. Through these works the narrative of the Communist past can ironically be freed from the demonizing image constructed by the New Order regime. Yet, his post‐‘1965 Affair’ works were not only in parallel with, but also a part – if not the core – of the demonization as such. Through his ways of seeing the PKI in 1960s, one can see the shift from Baconian knowledge/power to Foucaultian power/knowledge relations.     

尼赫鲁和苏加诺的民主思想比较

尼赫鲁和苏加诺的民主思想具有许多相同点，其相同点从一个侧面反映了战后亚非拉民族独立国家领袖人物民主主义思想的基本特征；尼赫鲁和苏加诺的民主思想亦具有一些不同点，其不同点从一个侧面体现了独立后印度和印尼民主建设的特殊性。弄清这些，对于我们新世纪走自己的路，建设有中国特色的社会主义民主不无裨益。     

苏加诺执政时期印尼政治发展道路特点及反思

随着1945年日本宣布无条件投降并从殖民地撤出军队,印度尼西亚民族独立运动的领袖苏加诺当选为印度尼西亚第一任总统。用参考文献的方法从历史分段的角度对苏加诺执政时期政治发展道路进行总结,并从中归纳出特点。对这一有着特殊历史意义的政治发展道路进行深入了解和分析,有助于理解当今印度尼西亚的政治和外交政策,同时对于我国加深对于这一东南亚大国的全方面了解有着重要作用。