Synopses & Reviews
The long-awaited final volume of Chalmers Johnson's bestselling Blowback trilogy confronts the overreaching of the American empire and the threat it poses to the republic
In his prophetic book Blowback, Chalmers Johnson linked the CIA's clandestine activities abroad to disaster at home. In The Sorrows of Empire, he explored the ways in which the growth of American militarism and the garrisoning of the planet have jeopardized our stability. Now, in Nemesis, he shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically.
Delving into new areas--from plans to militarize outer space to Constitution-breaking presidential activities at home and the devastating corruption of a toothless Congress--Nemesis offers a striking description of the trap into which the dreams of America's leaders have taken us. Drawing comparisons to empires past, Johnson explores in vivid detail just what the unintended consequences of our dependence on a permanent war economy are likely to be. What does it mean when a nation's main intelligence organization becomes the president's secret army? Or when the globe's sole "hyperpower," no longer capable of paying for the vaulting ambitions of its leaders, becomes the greatest hyper-debtor of all times?
In his stunning conclusion, Johnson suggests that financial bankruptcy could herald the breakdown of constitutional government in America--a crisis that may ultimately prove to be the only path to a renewed nation.
Review
"[T]his book continues the author's broad condemnation of American foreign policy by warning of imminent constitutional and economic collapse." Booklist
Review
"Chalmers Johnson, a patriot who pulls no punches, has emerged as our most prescient critic of American empire and its pretensions. Nemesis is his fiercest book and his best." Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism
Review
"A sobering read, though Johnson offers a solution to America's imperial woes: Follow Britain's lead and jettison both empire and the world-policeman role. Given the alternatives, it seems an idea worth exploring." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The threat Johnson describes is not new....But detecting such a threat and fearing that it is out of control are always appropriate in our democracy.....Nemesis is good in sounding the alarm." San Diego Union-Tribune
Synopsis
The long-awaited final volume of Chalmers Johnson's bestselling
Blowback trilogy confronts the overreaching of the American empire and the threat it poses to the republic.
In his prophetic book Blowback, Chalmers Johnson linked the CIA's clandestine activities abroad to disaster at home. In The Sorrows of Empire, he explored the ways in which the growth of American militarism and the garrisoning of the planet have jeopardized our stability. Now, in Nemesis, he shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically.
Delving into new areas from plans to militarize outer space to Constitution-breaking presidential activities at home and the devastating corruption of a toothless Congress Nemesis offers a striking description of the trap into which the dreams of America's leaders have taken us. Drawing comparisons to empires past, Johnson explores in vivid detail just what the unintended consequences of our dependence on a permanent war economy are likely to be. What does it mean when a nation's main intelligence organization becomes the president's secret army? Or when the globe's sole "hyperpower," no longer capable of paying for the vaulting ambitions of its leaders, becomes the greatest hyper-debtor of all times?
In his stunning conclusion, Johnson suggests that financial bankruptcy could herald the breakdown of constitutional government in America a crisis that may ultimately prove to be the only path to a renewed nation.
Synopsis
The conclusion of the trilogy that began with Blowback and The Sorrows of Empire analyzes the overreaching of the American empire and its potential repercussions in terms of our political, economic, and social institutions, including the consequences of a dependence on a permanent war economy and the impact of financial bankruptcy on the constitutional government. 75,000 first printing.
Synopsis
The long-awaited final volume of Johnson's bestselling trilogy which began with Blowback and continued in The Sorrows of Empire shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically.
Synopsis
A New York Times bestseller, Nemesis is Chalmers Johnson's "fiercest book--and his best" (Andrew J. Bacevich) In his prophetic book
Blowback, Chalmers Johnson linked the CIA's clandestine activities abroad to disaster at home. In
The Sorrows of Empire, he explored the ways in which the growth of American militarism and the garrisoning of the planet have jeopardized our stability. In
Nemesis, the bestselling and final volume in what has become known as the Blowback Trilogy, he shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically.
Delving into new areas--from plans to militarize outer space to Constitution-breaking presidential activities at home and the devastating corruption of a toothless Congress--Nemesis offers a striking description of the trap into which the reckless ambitions of America's leaders have taken us. Johnson confronts questions of pressing urgency: What are the unintended consequences of our dependence on a permanent war economy? What does it mean when a nation's main intelligence organization becomes the president's secret army? Or when the globe's sole "hyperpower" becomes the greatest hyper-debtor of all times?
Writing "as if the very existence of the nation is at stake" (San Francisco Chronicle), Johnson offers his most "bracing" and "important" (Los Angeles Times) exploration of the crisis facing America.
About the Author
Chalmers Johnson, president of the Japan Policy Research Institute, is the author of the bestselling Blowback and The Sorrows of Empire. A contributor to the Los Angeles Times, the London Review of Books, Harper's, and The Nation, among others, he appears in the 2005 prizewinning documentary film Why We Fight. He lives near San Diego.