Blowback

An account of the consequences of American global policies. The author argues that, in the 21st century, America will reap the global resentments it is now sowing. “Blowback”, a term that officials of the CIA first coined for their internal use, refers to the unintended consequences of American policies and the dangers faced by an over-extended empire that insists on projecting its military power to every corner of the globe and using American capital and markets to force global economic integration on its own terms. From America’s role in Asia’s financial crisis, to its early support for Saddam Hussein and its actions in the Balkans, Chalmers Johnson reveals the misguided actions of a nation basking in its own triumphalism. In the wake of the Cold War, the USA has imprudently expanded the commitments it made over the previous 40 years. In “Blowback”, Johnson issues a warning: it is time for the American empire to demobilize before its bills become due.

Author Biography

CHALMERS JOHNSON, president of the Japan Policy Research Institute and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, has written highly acclaimed books on Japan and Asia.