The Jakarta Method

In 1965, Indonesia witnessed one of the most horrendous events of the twentieth century: the mass killing of approximately one million innocent civilians. This massacre, covertly backed by the U.S. government and conducted by the Indonesian military, represented a crucial turning point in global geopolitics. The systematic extermination targeted the thriving Indonesian Communist Party, then the largest in the world outside of China and the Soviet Union, and served as a sinister blueprint for similar anti-communist campaigns in countries like Brazil, Chile, and beyond.

Yet despite its monumental impact, this dark chapter in history has remained significantly underreported, shrouded in secrecy and overshadowed by the narratives of Cold War victories and capitalist expansion. The covert operations and successful cover-ups orchestrated by the CIA concealed the true extent and brutality of these interventions from the global stage.

In his audacious and comprehensive work, The Jakarta Method, journalist Vincent Bevins delves deeply into this hidden history. Bevins, known for his incisive reports for the Washington Post, combines recently declassified documents with meticulous archival research and compelling eye-witness testimonies collected from twelve diverse nations to unravel this dark legacy. The book dismantles the long-held notion that parts of the developing world transitioned peacefully into the U.S.-led capitalist domain. Instead, Bevins reveals a chilling reality: the violent purging of unarmed leftists was not just a collateral occurrence but an intentional and fundamental strategy of Washington's agenda to assert dominance during the Cold War.

The Jakarta Method is a profound revelation of historical truths, shedding light on forgotten atrocities and the enduring implications of these actions on global political landscapes. Through vivid storytelling and rigorous investigative journalism, Bevins eloquently depicts how these events sculpted the socio-political fabric of many nations and continue to echo through contemporary geopolitics.