DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Vincent Bevins, an award-winning journalist who has covered Southeast Asia and Latin America extensively. Bevins discusses his new book, 'The Jakarta Method,' which examines the United States' anti-communist crusade and mass murder program during the Cold War era. He provides insights into the political landscape of post-World War II Indonesia, including the coalition of nationalist, communist, and Islamist forces under the leadership of Sukarno.
Bevins charts the evolution of the CIA's strategy, from the early coups in Iran and Guatemala to the model perfected in Indonesia, known as the 'Jakarta Method.' He explores the racialized and ideological underpinnings of the US foreign policy discourse during that period, which viewed communism as a threat to be eliminated.
The conversation delves into the contingencies and possibilities that could have allowed for alternative paths in the Cold War era, considering the role of the Soviet Union and the strength of anti-colonial movements. Bevins reflects on the lessons and implications of this history for understanding contemporary global politics and the ongoing struggle for emancipation.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The United States' anti-communist crusade during the Cold War era involved a systematic program of mass murder and violence against perceived threats to its global hegemony.
- The CIA's strategy evolved from direct military interventions to more covert methods, such as supporting right-wing movements and military forces within target countries.
- The racialized ideology of US foreign policy discourse viewed indigenous and non-white populations as inherently predisposed to communism, justifying violent suppression.
- The existence of the Soviet Union created opportunities for anti-colonial and socialist movements, but its eventual collapse also marked the consolidation of US global dominance.
- While alternative paths were possible, the US consistently chose to enforce its hegemony through violence, with few exceptions to this policy.
- The tactics and rhetoric employed by the US during the Cold War have persisted and continue to shape contemporary social and political movements.
- Understanding this history is crucial for comprehending the dynamics of current global politics and the ongoing struggle for emancipation.
- Bevins' work challenges conventional narratives and provides a comprehensive, interconnected account of the US's anti-communist crusade and its far-reaching consequences.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “The existence of the Soviet Union changed what the global system was and allowed for certain, certain short experiments that maybe wouldn't have been allowed at all without the Soviet Union.“ by Vincent Bevins
- “You hear, you know, there was all kinds of resonances during the Black Lives Matter uprising this summer where they would use things like, oh, yeah, that happened, you know, 15 times in the 20th century. And the reason it keeps getting reproduced is because it's very effective.“ by Vincent Bevins
- “The thing that really mattered is that by far the most country in the world had made this decision to suppress what it perceived as threats to hegemony and. Yeah, and, and like, the. The exceptions to that, like, as you said in the very beginning of the podcast, even if, you know, there was bad things, the. How close to total that. That enforcement of systemic discipline was, was really surprising, even, like, it was surprising to me.“ by Vincent Bevins
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Episode Information
Delete Your Account Podcast
Delete Your Account
7/8/20
Roqayah is off this week, so Kumars is joined from the top of the hour by Vincent Bevins, an award winning journalist who has covered Southeast Asia and Latin America extensively for the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, and the author of a must-read history of US regime change operations during the Cold War, The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade & the Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World.
Vincent begins by reacting to the breaking news that the far-right Brazilian government claims president Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus. As is customary, Vincent shares a bit about his political evolution and background as a journalist before sketching the basics of his argument in the book, which moves beyond its primary focus on the US-backed military coup in Indonesia to tell the story of the Cold War as colonialism by other means. Vincent outlines the peculiar ideological landscape of postwar Indonesia, including the blend of nationalist, communist and Islamist forces that rallied under the anti-imperialist banner of the country’s founding father Sukarno. Vincent charts the evolution of the CIA’s strategy from the early coups in Iran and Guatemala to the model, perfected in Indonesia and named after its capital, that would be exported around the world.
You can follow Vincent on Twitter @Vinncent and find the latest on where you can buy the book at thejakartamethod.com.
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