Blowback ─ The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

The term "blowback," invented by the CIA, refers to the unintended consequences of American actions abroad. In this book, Chalmers Johnson lays out the dangers faced by our overextended 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 conduct in the Balkans, Johnson reveals the ways in which our misguided policies are planting the seeds of future disaster.

Chalmers Johnson is president of the Japan Policy Research Institute and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego.