Picture this: 1965 Indonesia, where the US government quietly supports the military in slaughtering around one million civilians—mostly unarmed leftists from the world's third-largest Communist Party. This wasn't a one-off; it became a blueprint for anticommunist terror across Latin America, Africa, and beyond. Vincent Bevins' The Jakarta Method rips the lid off this suppressed history, piecing together declassified documents, archival digs, and survivor stories.
For years, we've been told the developing world smoothly joined the capitalist side during the Cold War. Wrong. Bevins shows how Washington's triumph relied on extermination campaigns that crushed leftist movements before they could spread. It's not abstract geopolitics—think families torn apart, villages burned, and voices silenced, all with American know-how and green lights from the top.
Bevins, a journalist who's chased these leads across continents, writes with clarity and grit. No dry academic tone here; it's gripping like a thriller, but grounded in facts.
Reading this, you'll see echoes in today's politics—how power gets wielded, winners rewrite history, and the losers vanish from the narrative. Perfect for history buffs questioning official stories, or anyone pondering US foreign policy's dark side. Grab the paperback and let it reshape your view of the world we inherited. Named a top book by NPR, Financial Times, and GQ—it's that good.
At 400 pages, it's a substantial read that rewards your time with profound insights. Whether you're into Cold War intrigue, declassified secrets, or just real history that bites, The Jakarta Method delivers.
