Economists with Guns: Authoritarian Development and U.S.-Indonesian Relations, 1960-1968

Simpson writes a detailed political history of 1960s US/Indonesia relations with an emphasis on Indonesian nationalism, Sukarno’s rise and fall, the September 30 movement, the “New Order” regime of Suharto, “military modernization,” and cold war realpolitik. Simpson offers a reminder of Indonesia’s critical importance to both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and this significant shift to US openly embracing third world authoritarian takeovers, i.e. military-led government.