This thesis examines the evolution of the relation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and in particular the development cooperation between these two countries. It is demonstrated that the...Show moreThis thesis examines the evolution of the relation between the Netherlands and Indonesia and in particular the development cooperation between these two countries. It is demonstrated that the Netherlands utilizes development cooperation in order to fulfil its moral obligation to help those in need and in order to create opportunities to realize its economic interests. The Dutch approach of development cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia has evolved from a predominantly multilateral one, as it wanted to be a neutral donor due to colonial sensitivity, to a bilateral approach through ODA support directly to the Indonesian government and distributed by the Dutch embassy in Jakarta. Dutch development cooperation has focused on several themes, such as education, water management, and good governance, mainly to create effectivity and efficiency as well as to utilize Dutch knowledge in and of these areas, and later also due to budgetary reasons. This thesis is set out to answer the following research question: How has Dutch development cooperation with Indonesia evolved and to what extent has Dutch official development assistance contributed to development in Indonesia in the period of 1998 to 2016? In order to answer this question, this thesis will first examine the evolution of Dutch development policies in general before turning to the practical impacts of Dutch development policies in Indonesia from 1998 to 2016.Show less
This thesis seeks to determine which actor had the greatest amount of responsibility for the emergence of 1965-1966 anti-communist mass killings in Indonesia and to explore why each actor opted for...Show moreThis thesis seeks to determine which actor had the greatest amount of responsibility for the emergence of 1965-1966 anti-communist mass killings in Indonesia and to explore why each actor opted for indiscriminate violence. The piece will discuss the applicability of three explanations for mass violence while using Indonesia as a case study. First theory will analyze economic reasons such as military’s financial incentives for the killings and foreign economic influences that have possibly encouraged mass violence; the second theory will look at the role of citizens and local forces through a bottom-up approach. The third theory will suggest an original explanation by van der Maat who argues that mass violence occurs when a political elite attempts to safeguard its position and seeks to eradicate dangerous intra-elite rivals through genocidal consolidation.Show less
