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Reviews tagging 'Classism'
The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World by Vincent Bevins
2 reviews
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Genocide, War, and Hate crime
Moderate: Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Rape, Torture, Death, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Racism
bjaimes's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Overall, the Jarkarta Method offers a deep glimpse into the US state apparatus and the role it played in endorsing the mass murder of leftists and civilians across the globe. If you aren't aware of this fact or if you are only vaguely aware of this, you should read this to understand the CIA playbook towards the Global South. Across the globe, the only justification the CIA needed to topple a democratically elected government was a lack of cooperation with Washington. The hypocrisy of the US government will never cease to amaze me. There are also incredible insights on how the US media like the New York Times further enabled the US interventions by unquestioningly parroting the government position on international issues. And remember, this EXACT status quo is still being preserved and enforced today!!!
Although informative, Bevins seems to have a pretty strong liberal bias. I can't blame him, since this book is probably an introduction to US imperialism for many folks. Ultimately, we need books that pull liberals further to the left. It does make the book harder to get through as a communist, however. If you are looking for any defense of revolutionary tactics, you will not find that here.
As I read books like this, I'm always struck by how many of these critical decisions were made by white men. There are some absolutely DERANGED quotes from US government officials, all of them white men. They somehow find a way to justify the most heinous crimes against humanity all in the name of anticommunism. Another issue I have with this book is Bevin's tendency to humanize these actions. Somehow, as long as they thought that fighting communism was the "good fight", they don't have to take accountability for their crimes. In my eyes, these men are the scum of the earth.
Although informative, Bevins seems to have a pretty strong liberal bias. I can't blame him, since this book is probably an introduction to US imperialism for many folks. Ultimately, we need books that pull liberals further to the left. It does make the book harder to get through as a communist, however. If you are looking for any defense of revolutionary tactics, you will not find that here.
As I read books like this, I'm always struck by how many of these critical decisions were made by white men. There are some absolutely DERANGED quotes from US government officials, all of them white men. They somehow find a way to justify the most heinous crimes against humanity all in the name of anticommunism. Another issue I have with this book is Bevin's tendency to humanize these actions. Somehow, as long as they thought that fighting communism was the "good fight", they don't have to take accountability for their crimes. In my eyes, these men are the scum of the earth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Murder, and Classism
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