Constructive Bloodbath in Indonesia: The United States, Great Britain and the Mass Killings of 1965-1966

In October 1965, the Indonesian army embarked upon a vicious campaign of mass murder with the aim of destroying he country's powerful Communist Party. In the space of just a few months, the army massacred between 500,000 and one million innocent people, mostly rural peasants who had joined th Communist Party in the hope of improving their lives.

The killings paved the way for the seizure of power by a military junta headed by General Suharto. Suharto's regime became synonymous with corruption and human rights abuse, but his willingness to integrate Indonesia into the global capitalist system made him a darling of the United States and Great Britain.

To this extent the massacre - one of the most devastating mass murders of the 20th Century - constituted what Noam Chomsky called a "constructive bloodbath" from the point of view of prevailing Cold War orthodoxy, and the US and Britain did what they could to encourage the slaughter. 'Constructive Bloodbath' in Indonesia examines the relationship between Suharto and his Western allies before, during and after the killings.