The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World
May 2020 · Hachette UK
4.5star
17 reviewsreport
Ebook
320
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, THE FINANCIAL TIMES, AND GQ
“A radical new history of the United States abroad” (Wall Street Journal) which uncovers U.S. complicity in the mass-killings of left-wing activists in Indonesia, Latin America and around the world
In 1965, the US government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians—eliminating the largest Communist Party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring other copycat terror programs.
In this bold and comprehensive new history, Vincent Bevins draws from recently declassified documents, archival research, and eyewitness testimony to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe. For decades, it’s been believed that the developing world passed peacefully into the US-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.
“A radical new history of the United States abroad” (Wall Street Journal) which uncovers U.S. complicity in the mass-killings of left-wing activists in Indonesia, Latin America and around the world
In 1965, the US government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians—eliminating the largest Communist Party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring other copycat terror programs.
In this bold and comprehensive new history, Vincent Bevins draws from recently declassified documents, archival research, and eyewitness testimony to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe. For decades, it’s been believed that the developing world passed peacefully into the US-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.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
17 reviews
Anas Ahamed
- Flag inappropriate
April 13, 2025
Vincent Bevins’ The Jakarta Method is a chilling exposé of U.S.-backed massacres disguised as anti-communism. As an American, Bevins delivers sharp investigative journalism, but leans too hard on blaming the U.S. while downplaying the agency of local regimes. Still, it’s a powerful, necessary reckoning with Cold War hypocrisy. A voice of reason, not victory—and a reminder that “freedom” has often meant death for the Global South.
Tim Luckin
- Flag inappropriate
August 13, 2023
An excellent read. shocking, Sad, emotional, fascinating, educational its hard to explain. If you have any connection to Indonesia, Asia or Latin America this will give you some kind of understanding as to the world we live in today.
Rudi H
- Flag inappropriate
December 25, 2020
One of the must read book for all the cold war historian. Simply mindblowing and eye opening that one of the biggest cold war front won by the United States without needing to send their troops there.
14 people found this review helpful
About the author
Vincent Bevins is an award-winning journalist. He covered Southeast Asia for the Washington Post after serving as the Brazil correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. Bevins previously worked for the Financial Times and now contributes to outlets like the New York Times Magazine and the London Review of Books. He is also the author of If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
