Neither Chess or Checkers

The Jakarta Method Comes Home

Morning Comrades.

Partly unwillingly, my morning was spent watching some of the DNC Convention in Chicago and whilst there are many, justified criticisms of what was done and said, other people are more invested in protesting presented realities than I am. At some point we have to understand that only pointing out that indeed, the lion doth kill, will not change the lion from being a lion. More on that come Friday though.

What was an uncanny coincidence is that I have been re-reading Vincent Bevins’ “The Jakarta Method” over the last few days and understood some previously not-understood connections that are worth anyones time. On a side note, it is imperative to re-read books over time, the older you get, well, hopefully, the more intricate your understanding may become and this is definitely a case in point.

The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins explores the often-overlooked history of U.S.-backed mass violence during the Cold War, particularly focusing on Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge, where between 500,000 to 1 million people were killed. The book delves into how the U.S. government, fearing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, provided support to the Indonesian military, which then orchestrated a brutal campaign against the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and its sympathizers. This event became a template for similar operations in other countries, such as Brazil and Chile, leading to widespread state violence and the suppression of leftist movements globally. The "Jakarta Method" thus refers to the strategy of using mass violence to eliminate perceived communist threats, which was replicated in various forms across the world, resulting in millions of deaths.

Whilst the book deals with a few historical specifics the clarity in methodology presented about how the US government works, irrespective of what party is in the White House etc, is helpful if you not only want to remain sane but figure out what it is you can do to end it. If you have one book on your list for the remainder of this year, I implore you to make it this one.

Let’s get into it.