Security Entrenchment and the Dynamics of Politicide: Evidence from Indonesia

This dissertation examines variations in violence during politicide. Why do some areas have greater levels of killings and long term detentions than others, controlling for the size of the victim group? Moreover, why do some areas have greater rates of killing relative to detentions? Using process tracing to compare three Indonesian provinces that experienced politicide in 1965-66, I argue these dynamics are shaped by two factors: the degree to which security forces are entrenched at the local level, and the strength of civilian networks willing to collaborate with security forces. The first two chapters develop my theoretical framework, situate it in current debates of mass violence, and outline the methodology used. Chapter three overviews the origins of the Indonesian politicide, in which the Indonesian army killed an estimated 500,000 civilian communist supporters. The following three chapters trace the dynamics of this politicide in Central Java, East Java, and West Java. Through these cases, I demonstrate that low security entrenchment leads to higher levels of violence and higher rates of killing, as security forces lacked the ability to use violence more selectively. The strain of caring for these detainees then poses a logistical problem and incentivizes mass executions. Collaborator networks can further increase killings when security forces are weak by pressuring them to use additional lethal violence or engage in lethal violence unilaterally. I conclude by demonstrating how these findings are likely to apply across cases of politicide more broadly, and reflect on the relationship between security capacity, mass violence, and repression.Ph.D