Synopses & Reviews
Now available in paperback, Chalmers Johnson's take-no-prisoners account of the consequences of American global policies, hailed as "brilliant and iconoclastic" (Los Angeles Times)The term "blowback," invented by the CIA, refers to the uninted consequences of American policies. In this incisive and controversial book, Chalmers Johnson lays out in vivid detail the dangers faced by our overexted empire, which insists on projecting its military power to every corner of the earth and using American capital and markets to force global economic integration on its own terms. From a case of rape by U.S. servicemen in Okinawa to our role in Asia's financial crisis, from our early support for Saddam Hussein to our actions in the Balkans, Johnson reveals the ways in which our misguided policies are planting the seeds of future disaster.
In the wake of the Cold War, the United States has imprudently expanded the commitments it made over the previous forty years, argues Johnson. In Blowback, he issues a warning we would do well to consider: it is time for our empire to demobilize before our bills come due.
Review
"Chalmers Johnson is one of the most influential, brilliant, and provocative intellectuals writing about Asia today." --John Dower, author of
War Without Mercy, winner of the NBCC Award
Review
"Stunning and shocking. Blowback is a wake-up call for America." --John W. Dower, author of
Embracing Defeat, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
"Boldly provocative...A useful and timely alert." --Richard Bernstein, The New York Times
Synopsis
An explosive account of the resentments American policies are sowing around the world and of the payback that will be our harvest in the twenty-first century.Blowback, a term invented by the CIA, refers to the uninted consequences of American policies. In this sure-to-be-controversial book, Chalmers Johnson lays out in vivid detail the dangers faced by our overexted empire, which insists on projecting its military power to every corner of the earth and using American capital and markets to force global economic integration on its own terms. From a case of rape by U.S. servicemen in Okinawa to our role in Asia's financial crisis, from our early support for Saddam Hussein to our actions in the Balkans, Johnson reveals the ways in which our misguided policies are planting the seeds of future disaster.
In the wake of the Cold War, the United States has imprudently expanded the commitments it made over the previous forty years, argues Johnson. In Blowback, he issues a warning we would do well to consider: it is time for our empire to demobilize before our bills come due.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [231]-252) and index.
About the Author
Chalmers Johnson, president of the Japan Policy Research Institute and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, has written numerous books on Japan and Asia, including
Miti and the Japanese Miracle and
Japan: Who Governs? He lives near San Diego.