Non-state violence and political order in democratized Indonesia

Abstract

In addition to the formal coercive apparatus of the state, the military, and the police, numerous groups and organizations that use or threaten to use violence to further their interests exist in every country. These include completely illegitimate organizations such as mafias and terrorist groups and more legitimate ones such as security companies, militias, and officially sanctioned vigilante groups that operate on the margins of legality and illegality. Using Indonesia as a case study, I focus on such violent groups, which have existed under every political regime in the country's history. Violent groups not only play a role in maintaining stability and order according to the state's expectations but also, during the democratization era, actively participate in formal politics, thus highlighting the importance of violence as a political resource. By examining the relationship of one specific group, the Pancasila Youth, to the state, we see how democratized Indonesia has created a political order from the local to the national level that actively incorporates informal violence and the threat of its use.