The Jakarta Method

hardcover, 320 pages

Published May 19, 2020 by PublicAffairs.

ISBN:: 978-1-5417-4240-6

(2 reviews)

The hidden story of the wanton slaughter -- in Indonesia, Latin America, and around the world -- backed by the United States.

In 1965, the U.S. government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians. This was one of the most important turning points of the twentieth century, eliminating the largest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring copycat terror programs in faraway countries like Brazil and Chile. But these events remain widely overlooked, precisely because the CIA's secret interventions were so successful.

In this bold and comprehensive new history, Vincent Bevins builds on his incisive reporting for the Washington Post, using recently declassified documents, archival research and eye-witness testimony collected across twelve countries to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe. For decades, it's been believed that parts of the developing world passed peacefully into the U.S.-led capitalist system. The Jakarta Method demonstrates …

The hidden story of the wanton slaughter -- in Indonesia, Latin America, and around the world -- backed by the United States.

In 1965, the U.S. government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians. This was one of the most important turning points of the twentieth century, eliminating the largest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring copycat terror programs in faraway countries like Brazil and Chile. But these events remain widely overlooked, precisely because the CIA's secret interventions were so successful.

In this bold and comprehensive new history, Vincent Bevins builds on his incisive reporting for the Washington Post, using recently declassified documents, archival research and eye-witness testimony collected across twelve countries to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe. For decades, it's been believed that parts of the developing world passed peacefully into the U.S.-led capitalist system. The Jakarta Method demonstrates that the brutal extermination of unarmed leftists was a fundamental part of Washington's final triumph in the Cold War.

4 editions

Goblin reviewed The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins

Intro to neocolonialism

3 stars

It's a journalist telling the story of 20th century global colonialism as implemented by the CIA and US State department. We learn about the topic through stories about some of the people affected by the murderous programs. Stories based on interviews make the book more accessible than a more academic approach. So if the topic of neocolonialism is new to someone, this book would be a good entry point.

When the subtitle refers to an "anticommunist crusade" it seems to reinforce Washington's propaganda. I would have preferred the cover to name it accurately as "colonialism".

The book focuses on Southeast Asia and Latin America. Those are not the only places in the world where the CIA was active in disrupting local governments. I would have liked to see wider geographic coverage, but I suppose the journalistic approach taken by the author made that difficult to accomplish.

Kortabarria ★ reviewed El Método Yakarta by Vincent Bevins

Latza baina beharrezkoa

5 stars

"Historia irabazleek idazten dute" esaten da, eta egia da Gerra Hotzarentzat ere, AEBen bertsioa entzuten dugu nonahi. Horregatik derrigorrezko irakurketa da liburu hau XX. mendea sakonki ulertu nahi duen ororentzat. Izan ere, Gerra Hotzean alde kapitalistak eskuratutako garaipenik garrantzitsuenetarikoa azaltzen du xeheki, baita horretarako erabilitako terrore anti-komunista ere. AEBek Indonesian lehenik, eta munduan zehar ondoren, aplikatutako metodo ankerrak aurkezten dizkigu liburuak.