The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World by Vincent Bevins

The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins is a riveting and authoritative account of the anticommunist crusade of the United States during the Cold War and the mass murder program it employed in Indonesia, as well as its lasting impact on global politics.

The Jakarta Method begins with the story of U.S. President Eisenhower’s secret diplomatic mission to Indonesia in 1960. Eisenhower was attempting to undermine President Sukarno’s leftist government and was backed by the CIA, which had already been working for several years to establish a regime that could effectively challenge communist expansion in Southeast Asia. In order to achieve this, the U.S.-backed military forces led a bloody campaign of mass arrests, torture, and executions which became known as the “Jakarta Method.”

Bevins then goes on to explore the impacts of the Jakarta Method on Indonesia’s neighbors and beyond. Drawing on interviews, classified documents, and other primary sources, he examines how the U.S. government actively facilitated and encouraged a regime of brutality and repression that spawned massacres, disappearances, and disappearances without trial. He then turns his attention to the lasting legacy of the Jakarta Method, including a regional arms race and a deepening Cold War that ultimately reshaped the global balance of power.

Bevins’ compelling narrative further reveals the consequences of this anticommunist crusade on the individuals involved. He profiles victims of the Jakarta Method and their families, as well as the U.S. politicians and military leaders who implemented it. He draws also on insights from the Indonesian military to show how authoritarianism and human rights abuses were actively encouraged and tolerated.

The Jakarta Method paints a vivid and shocking picture of the U.S. government’s role in the Cold War and the impact of its policies today. It offers an invaluable glimpse into one of the darkest chapters in American foreign policy, and demonstrates how these actions resonated throughout the world. Today, in a climate of increasing skepticism toward American power, The Jakarta Method provides an essential historical reminder of the consequences of untrammeled U.S. influence. By taking an unflinching look at the history of U.S. anticommunism and its mass murder program, Bevins has produced a powerful and riveting book.