In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan interviews Prof. Bradley Simpson, Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. Prof. Simpson reflects on his path from human rights activism to academia. This conversation examines Indonesia's "moderate middle" engagement with the New International Economic Order (NIEO) under the Suharto regime, exploring how and why its moderate stance in NIEO became significant for the Suharto regime, particularly in its foreign policy. Prof. Simpson introduces his forthcoming book, The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941–2000, where he redefines the concept of self-determination to acknowledge and encompass global struggles for sovereignty and social justice.

Lightning round: (n/a)

Background: 3:47

Research and Lecture Summary: 18:30

Advice for Researchers and Recommendations: 55:20 Professor Simpson's Top Recommendations:

• Decolonisation and the Pacific: Indigenous Globalisation and the Ends of Empire (2016) By Tracey Banivanua Mar

• Stranger in the Shogun's City (2020) by Amy Stanley

The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino style Rondalla group established in Cornell University. Check them out here. Produced by Adam Farihin, Neen Yada Tangcharoenmonkong, and Cecilia Liu