`Author:` `Availability:` ## Summary _The Jakarta Method_ is Vincent Bevins’s study of how the mass killings in Indonesia in 1965–66—carried out during the overthrow of Sukarno and the rise of Suharto—became a model for anti-communist [[repression]] around the world during the Cold [[War]]. Bevins argues that the [[violence]] was not an isolated national [[Tragedy]] but part of a wider pattern shaped by US foreign policy, covert action, and the global architecture of anti-communist alliances. **Central events** - In Indonesia, the army and allied militias killed at least hundreds of thousands of people suspected of left-wing sympathies. Many more were imprisoned or disappeared. - The killings eliminated the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), then one of the largest non-ruling communist parties in the world. - Western governments, particularly the United States, provided [[Politics|political]] support, intelligence, and, in some cases, material assistance to generals seeking to “cleanse” the country of [[Communism]]. **Why it mattered globally** Bevins shows that the scale and apparent success of the Indonesian purge became a template—or, at minimum, a point of inspiration—for other right-wing regimes. Variations of the “Jakarta Method” can be traced in: - Latin America during the 1960s–80s (e.g., Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and the wider Operation Condor network). - Anti-communist security doctrines that sanctioned disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and covert cooperation across borders. - The broader Cold War belief that eliminating leftist movements by force was both necessary and permissible. **Core argument** The book reframes Cold War history from the viewpoint of the Global South. Instead of a series of isolated coups, it portrays an interconnected system of repression: a transnational project in which anti-communist violence acted as an organising principle for new regimes, shaping political landscapes for decades. If you would like, I can also provide a shorter capsule summary, a thematic analysis, or recommended further reading linked to these ideas, Lord Thomas. ## Key Takeaways ## Quotes - ## Notes > [!info] > ![[Bevins-Vincent-cr-Martinus-Rimo_85c507c01c189e1eaa993dbda3e84cc5.jpg]] `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` ## Highlights