"Blowback," a term invented by the CIA, refers to the unintended consequences of American policies. In this incisive & controversial book, Chalmers Johnson lays out in vivid detail the dangers faced by our overextended empire, which insists on projecting its military power to every corner of the earth & using American capital & 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.Positioning Statement: 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 The hardcover received great review and media coverage. The author is incredibly well-connected and in constant demand as a speaker. The perfect match of author and subject.
Chalmers Johnson, president of the Japan Policy Research Institute & professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, has written numerous books on Japan & Asia including his classic "Miti & the Japanese Miracle" & "Japan: Who Governs?" He lives near San Diego.