Blowback (Second Edition): The Costs and Consequences of American...
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Blowback (Second Edition): The Costs and Consequences of American Empire
byChalmers Johnson
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn Eye Opening Experience
Byforzaitalia1313on November 28, 2012
This book hits it right out of the park. It is an unbelievably cogent argument about how US Foreign Policy has caused and will continue to cause future generations of hatred towards America and her citizens. I reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in looking behind the "Media Curtain" to get a highly detailed yet amazingly easy read into the foreign policy blunders the US has committed and continues to commit in countries like Japan & specifically in Okinowa, South Korea & the greater South Pacific Region.
The book makes the case that the US government like the Soviet era government during the Cold War, used other weaker nations as strategic "satellites," to contain the other "political theory" in the political war between capitalism (US) & socialism (USSR) the capitialists won. However, Johnson points out that the US government is still playing by the same rules laid out in the cold war which in turn is costing the US major as far as monetary assets and "good-will" in the face of the citizens of other nations.
The stealth imperialism presented in this book is an eye opening and revealing experience for the reader. After reading this book you will look at the world in a completely new light. You will begin to read news stories and know that there in fact are more pieces to the story presented and you will likely be able to fit those pieces together based on the knowledge you have gained by reading BLOWBACK.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA must read for those of us who would like democracy to work as it was intended.
ByTruzeon November 22, 2014
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I am shocked and ashamed at how much I haven't known about what the US has been doing in our name during my lifetime ... behind the scenes, not in the history books, denied at the time, supported by huge financing, never explained to Congressmen, hidden from the American people, without accountability. We, as American citizens, need to begin to comprehend the scope and frequency of governmental covert actions so we can do something to control them ... or our future and our children's future will continue to be in serious jeopardy.... democratic principles rely on citizens making informed decisions to guide institutional policies. "Blowback" is what happens when human rights are ignored and violated. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to learn how to limit practices that are the breeding ground for extremism.
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4.0 out of 5 starsAn excellent primer on the US's Pacific empire
ByChristopher M. Howardon June 10, 2015
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An excellent primer on the US's Pacific empire. Professor Johnson's arguments are cogent and easily digestible, if not entirely pleasant to the taste. I highly recommend this book! It's a quick, uncomplicated read for a general audience (I only had to look up a handful of words) otherwise unfamiliar with the subterfuge and machinations of empire. The author's focus on the Pacific was both revelatory and embarrassing. The repeated comparisons of the US with the Soviet Union were unsettling. The author's evaluation of, and future predictions for more, blowback are disturbing, especially since it was penned prior to the tragic events of 9/11. The book utterly lacked maps and would've benefited from a couple of clarifying charts and at least one timeline, particularly concerning the recent history of China. I read, underlined, thoroughly annotated in the margins, and passed this book along to expand the thinking of fellow Americans.
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4.0 out of 5 starsGreat introduction to the unseen side of America's foreign policy
ByAaronon June 15, 2010
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If all you do is read the standard textbooks and listen to the platitudes that come out the mouths of our ruling class, you will never get the complete picture of "why they hate us." Former Cold Warrior Chalmers Johnson details how the national security apparatus set up during that era and the foreign policies implemented has laid the groundwork for most today's international troubles. "Blowback", a CIA term referring to the unintended consequences of polices that were usually kept secret from the American public, is detailed and explained in depth.
Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has not fully adapted to the post-communist era by rolling back militarism and government secrecy. America continues to maintain a global garrison of bases and relentlessly intervenes in the internal affairs of other countries openly and covertly. In Johnson's words, "The evidence is building up that in the decade following the end of the Cold War, the United States largely abandoned a reliance on diplomacy, economic aid, international law, and multilateral institutions in carrying out its foreign policies and resorted much of the time to bluster, military force, and financial manipulation. The world is not a safer place as a result."
The one disappointment I had with this book was the lack of focus in the Middle East. Nevertheless, it is to be expected since the author is an East Asia expert and most of book focuses on American actions there.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Best of Johnson's Trilogy!
ByJ.L. PopulistTop Contributor: Guitaron September 26, 2008
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In the Introduction to the book Mr. Johnson tells the reader the circumstances of when the term "Blowback" first appeared in a government document related to covert C.I.A. actions of 1953.
The author shares his critical view of the American empire and uses the U.S. military bases in Japan and Okinawa as examples.
He also examines the joint exercises that various U.S. military organizations perform with some nations known for brutal human rights violations.
On accountability he made this observation, "The Pentagon's most recent route around accountability is 'privatization' of it's training activities."
Another aspect of American imperialism is the actions of the International Monetary Fund that often leads to political instability.
On financing he discusses the enormous sums of money in the U.S defense budget to maintain access to Persian Gulf oil and why that's a priority.
"The American Empire has become skilled at developing self-fulfilling and self-serving prophecies in order to justify it's policies." -page 92.
No truer words have been written about the subject.
He offers up an accurate assessment of free trade, particularly with China. "The second aspect of human rights in China we must recognize is to ensure that poor working conditions and prison labor in China (and elsewhere) do not end up destroying the livelihood of American workers."
Chalmers Johnson clarified the financial as well as the military aspect of the American empire citing the positions of Adam Smith and John Hobson.
"Smith and Hobson both believed that finance capitalism produced the pathologies of the global economy they called mercantilism and imperialism."
He observes that capitalists are seldom happy with being capitalists and would prefer being monopolists, inside traders, or usurers.
After reading all three of Chalmers Johnson's trilogy books, I regard "Blowback, Second Edition" as the best.
If you want to understand how the American empire works and why blowback happens, this book is a "must read".
It covers the many aspects of American imperialism and in an easily understood fashion. Destined to be a foreign policy classic, if it isn't already!
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4.0 out of 5 starsChalmers Johnson at the top
Byjimsecoron June 5, 2016
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Like everything else of Chalmers Johnson's, this book was full to bursting with information and insight. A very different look at the American Empire's overseas involvement that makes the Brits in India and Africa look like child's play.
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5.0 out of 5 stars"Blowback" - or in other words why did 9/11 and other world-wide incidents really occur?
BySharon C.on August 16, 2013
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He is a scholar of East Asian economics and political science. I can't remember exactly what group he was asked to join but it was either the Pentagon, CIA or some other surveillance group years ago. They needed his expertise on East Asian politics, life style and economics.. This alerted him to the military-industrialist complex going on behind our backs at our tax-payer expense, not to mention all the un-repayable debt to the Federal Reserve that we are accumulating now....
Blowback is a term that the govt. uses to assess "If we do this or that militaristic aggressive thing to another country, what will be the repercussions.....?" This is the first in his trilogy of books... This deals with Vietnam, Korea, WWII, China, Japan, Okinawa, etc.... Our first venture into world takeover by the American imperialist govt. Did you know that there are at least 700-800 military bases world-wide that are run by the US govt.? Why is the US there? To establish a military-industrialist one-world govt. controlled by the US....."Globalization", another code word for takeover....
This is not a conspiracy theory book... Its just hard facts that he learned as he worked with the clandestine activities of the US Pentagon, CIA, and other covert agencies we don't even know about.... He was just a mild-mannered educator at a California college for most of his life... But he became alarmed by what he saw....And he was also surprised that most of the information he was given is not even top secret - so he was able to discuss it in his trilogy of books....Its a great read if you really wonder what's going on these days and its definitely not another conspiracy theory book - he backs it up by lengthy references throughout the book... Many of which I've checked. I'm the world's biggest skeptic:-)
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe best place to start a true understanding of militarism, foreign policy, and the consequences of unacknowledged empire.
ByAmazon Customeron November 18, 2015
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Chalmers Johnson, like Andrew Bacevich, hits the proverbial nail on the head with their assessment of the actual cause and effect relationship between American militarism and the consequences most politicians and citizens are unwilling to see. Johnson is clear and direct in presenting his viewpoint and must be considered by both military and civilian if they truly seek to understand how American foreign policy will play out in the coming century. We need more skepticism of militarism, especially in the United States.
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5.0 out of 5 starsReaping what we sow....
ByRobert Yutzyon July 26, 2016
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Chalmers Johnson is one of those "experts" - you know, the guys who know nearly everything and can explain it to you so that you know, too. They're not much in demand these days - people just make stuff up now, based on how they "feel". If you like thinking better than feeling, buy this book. Johnson illuminates the unfortunate consequences of the worst excesses of our foreign policy over recent decades.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA fascinating book.
BySahra Badouon April 1, 2008
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`Blowback' is the term the CIA uses to refer to the unintended consequences of American actions abroad. The author makes the reader aware of the dangers faced by the US Empire, which he feels has been overextended, with about 19 military bases worldwide. The US insists on projecting its military power to every corner of the earth and to force global economic integration on its own terms. I remember once a Chinese leader commenting, "Why should we live by the standards set by the US?" In other words, who says the US way of life is the best there is and we should all follow it? This method of dictating what's right and what is not to the rest of the world angers a lot of people according to the author, and will one day cause a blowback against US interests.
The author asks, "Why are there still US bases in Japan?" He then asks if the American people would like it if other nations had military bases on US soil.
The US is not liked in Japan for many reasons. The US dropped two atomic bombs on them, one on Hiroshima and another on Nagasaki, killing many innocent women, children, and the elderly. The blowback from this atrocious act is still to come. Today such an act would be condemned worldwide. Could you imagine if India decided to nuke Pakistan, or North Korea nuked a neighboring country, what would the world's response be? Yet the US got away with it during World War II, even though Japan was on the verge of surrender before the atomic bombs were dropped. Killing civilians is unacceptable. If Russia had won the cold war, the US would today have been paying compensation to the Japanese, much like how Germany is still paying the state of Israel compensation for the atrocities it inflicted on the Jewish people under Hitler.
The author mentions rape cases on Okinawa committed by US soldiers based there. In one case, a 12 year old Japanese schoolgirl was gang raped by US soldiers. Japanese Families are upset because these soldiers are trialed in the US under US military laws which tend to be lenient with the soldiers. Furthermore, in many cases, by the time a lawsuit is brought against a US soldier, he or she no longer is on Okinawa. The US soldiers' duty time on Okinawa is only 6 months! Once a soldier leaves Japan, it is impossible for the Japanese families to bring him or her to justice. US soldiers based on Okinawa therefore get away with crimes.
Bases were also built on land owned by Japanese farmers without giving them compensation. Military maneuvers and artillery fire are constantly being performed on protected reefs around Okinawa. Furthermore, bullets made of depleted uranium at one point littered Okinawa's coast, but the Navy eventually cleaned up the shores after international pressure and outrage. How would American citizens feel if China or Russia had military bases on American soil, raped young American girls, took land from farmers without compensation, and polluted the US coast with UN prohibited depleted uranium bullets? How would the American people feel if crimes committed against them could not be trialed under US laws? For example, why didn't the soldiers involved in Abu Ghuraib prison in Iraq stand trial in an Iraqi court under Iraqi law? Similarly, the US fighter pilots involved in the cable car accident in Italy stood trial in the US and were found innocent! Why didn't they stand trial in Italy? This angered the Italians.
The author discusses Afghanistan and how the CIA started helping the Mujahedeen before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, not after as is often believed. The CIA therefore used the Mujahedeen to fight the US war against the Soviets. Once the Soviets were defeated, the CIA dropped support for the Mujahedeen. The blowback was that the Mujahedeen turned against the US.
Interestingly, the author says that the US should withdraw all of its troops from the Middle East. If this is done, the author says, there would no longer be the hatred that Arab people feel today against the US. Imagine China had military bases in Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. How would the US people feel? Threatened? Unsafe? This is exactly how Arabs feel today.
The book also discusses the IMF and how it has destroyed the Indonesian economy. I thought that chapter on the IMF and globalization extremely interesting and thought provoking.
This is really a great book, and if you like reading Noam Chomsky, you will like this book. This book was originally published before 9/11, but has a new introduction on blowback in the post-9/11 world.
One thing to keep in mind: All empires throughout history have collapsed. The question to ask is `Why?' If the US can answer this question, it might just defeat the cycle of history.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA very important book.
ByAdele Roofon June 20, 2014
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It is in reading books like this one that we truly begin to learn and understand the workings of our foreign policy and how it affects the world and also US citizens at home. Chalmers Johnson was a veteran of the Korean War, a scholar in far eastern studies, a college professor, and an analyst for the CIA. I found this book to be so compelling, that I went on to read two other books by Johnson: "Sorrows of Empire" and "Nemesis." I highly recommend all three.
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4.0 out of 5 starsVery Factual, Engaging, and Interesting
ByMike Morgensteinon January 12, 2016
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As other reviewers noted, the subtitle of this book is a little misleading. The text is more focused on Asian-related blowback (DEF: the negative and unforeseeable consequences of American foreign policy) rather than all blowback (e.g. Vietnam or Israel). Overall, I found the reading to be really enjoyable and factual. It was for the most part objective. I think that the chapters could have been chopped up more because there were a few and sometimes they dragged on. This issue could have been better ameliorated with subtitles as well.
There is extensive coverage - and whole chapters dedicated to - of blowback in Okinawa Island, South Korea, North Korea, China, and Japan. Much is mentioned of other Asian countries like Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and The Philippines. China was examined at most politically, but also touched upon were it's cultural, moral, and financial tenets. The author warns of the incessant uprising of the post-communist Chinese society. Japan is dissected, primarily American imperialism in the country and it's Americanized economics.
American imperialism by definition(s) encompasses the whole spectrum of ways that the United States overreach their boundaries: U.S-owned Satellite states. American-influenced economics (e.g. The Plaza Accord and Japan). Stealth operations enacted by U.S. leaders that are undertaken by U.S. military. The millions of civilian death because of U.S. foreign policy. Etc.
The author draws many parallels on how American imperialism mirrors that of the Cold War Soviet Union, more specifically, the American imperialism in Southeast Asia compared to Soviet imperialism in Eastern Europe after WW2. Because of the induced imperialism, and the many lies concomitant with it, American distrust becomes prevalent in many other countries and ultimately many enemies are born out of dissent. The time period most covered in the text is the 1990s. The author concludes by warning about the consequences (blowback) of American foreign policy that await us in the 21st century. The author on the rare occasion gives his opinion on what the U.S. should do and how it would prepare for the latent blowback that awaits.
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5.0 out of 5 starsChalmers Johnson wasn't playin' with this one
BySheldonon February 17, 2017
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Read this book in college and it really places America in a villainous role. A must read for those who don't trust what they have read in text books in grade school.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA Must Read for all who want to understand what is happening in the world today.
Bypugachev12on November 16, 2015
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I read this in 2000 right after it came out and have quoted it ever since. It may be polemical but at the same time Johnson lays out the "unintended consequences" of Empire or at least the actions of a nation oblivious to the consequences of its actions and its standing in the world.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars
ByGS Accounton March 12, 2017
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Good school book
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5.0 out of 5 starsGood Read
ByScott Ruddon August 4, 2015
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I should have read this years ago. Some of this stuff is just incredible. How do we get ourselves so intertwined in so many world issues and just expect everyone to accept that we are always right? Some questions just never can be answered to the satisfaction of everyone and this book rips everything wide open.
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5.0 out of 5 starsWhy they hate us!
ByWilliam F Harrisonon October 31, 2001
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Chalmers Johnson has written an important book which will most unfortunately be little read. The last three books I have read are Blowback, Taliban by Ahmad Rashed, and Terror in the mind of God by Jeurgensmeyer.
But for long years before this I have read books like
The Otherside of the River and Red Star over China by Edgar Snow,
A History of Vietnam by ???,
Fire in the Lake,
Dispatches, plus
The Pentagon Papers
and dozens of other informative and prescient works.
Perhaps one of the best was The Poisonwood Bible.
But Johnson's work brings together many of the loose ends that large numbers of Americans must have been dimmly aware of for the past 50 plus years. Like Johnson, I was in the navy on an LST for almost three years of the four years I was in, just a little later than Johnson's tour, Jan 1955 to Jan, 1959. And like Johnson, I was devoutly patriotic for all of those years, and I believed that our government was perhaps the most altruistic intitution ever concieved by man. (Indeed, I believe that it could still be were it not for the inattention and civic laziness of most of our citizens.) It was not until I read The Pentagon Papers in about 1974 or '75 that I realized that I could not depend solely on the daily newspaper and TV's accessment and reporting of the days events to inform me of what I should be aware of as an American citizen, responsible for the actions and inactions of my government. I pray that Johnson's book gets the readership it deserves, however, I am not terribly optimistic that this will be the case. (...)(I just read this for the first time since I submitted it. Unfortunately, the "editors" of this feature have seen fit to remove the meat of my comments about the book from this review, pretty much gutting it. I appologize to those of you who thought you were going to get a review of the book when you read this. 6/24/02 wfh)
hat A Book
ByLiberal Oneon June 23, 2003
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This is a book every Administration taking office should read before they begin to formulate foreign policy. This book goes over the foreign policies of supporting dictators, communist regimes, lying to the American people, and being dishonest and how it all "blows back" in our faces years later. From Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and now Bush II. They all have done the dance called "stupid" and have paid for it with American lives in order to clean up the mess. This book will make you put it down for a while because you will wonder how stupid these guys we hire to run our country are. Then you will pick it up and read some more. Hope you enjou it and please just read it and don't be bias because at some point your favorite Administration will be featured in a chapter also.
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5.0 out of 5 starsHighly recommended.
ByGinger M.on November 15, 2015
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Everyone needs to read this. A real eye opener about how our Military works. Shocking actually. Johnson's writing style is very clear, systematic and easy to understand. If you want to know how the world sees us and why, this is the book for you.
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