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Since September 2001, the United States has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible," writes Chalmers Johnson. Unlike past global powers, however, America has built an empire of bases rather than colonies, creating in the process a government that is obsessed with maintaining absolute military dominance over the world, Johnson claims. The Department of Defense currently lists 725 official U.S. military bases outside of the country and 969 within the 50 states (not to mention numerous secret bases). According to the author, these bases are proof that the "United States prefers to deal with other nations through the use or threat of force rather than negotiations, commerce, or cultural interaction." This rise of American militarism, along with the corresponding layers of bureaucracy and secrecy that are created to circumvent scrutiny, signals a shift in power from the populace to the Pentagon: "A revolution would be required to bring the Pentagon back under democratic control," he writes.
In Sorrows of Empire, Johnson discusses the roots of American militarism, the rise and extent of the military-industrial complex, and the close ties between arms industry executives and high-level politicians. He also looks closely at how the military has extended the boundaries of what constitutes national security in order to centralize intelligence agencies under their control and how statesmen have been replaced by career soldiers on the front lines of foreign policy--a shift that naturally increases the frequency with which we go to war.
Though his conclusions are sure to be controversial, Johnson is a skilled and experienced historian who backs up his claims with copious research and persuasive arguments. His important book adds much to a debate about the realities and direction of U.S. influence in the world. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
"Impressive . . . a powerful indictment of U.S. military and foreign policy." Los Angeles Times Book Review, front page In the years after the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as a "reluctant sheriff," next as the "indispensable nation," and in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important national bestseller, Chalmers Johnson thoroughly explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling us to pick up the burden of empire.Recalling the classic warnings against militarism-from George Washington's Farewell Address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex-Johnson uncovers its roots deep in our past. Turning to the present, he maps America's expanding empire of military bases and the vast web of services that support them. He offers a vivid look at the new caste of professional militarists who have infiltrated multiple branches of government, who classify as "secret" everything they do, and for whom the manipulation of the military budget is of vital interest. Among Johnson's provocative conclusions is that American militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization and bankrupting the United States, even as it creates the conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon-with the Pentagon in the lead.
Customer Reviews:
A Critical Review.......2007-08-05
This book gets everything wrong.
Johnson argues that the demise of the USSR was a great economic victory, having everything to do with the failure of socialist economics and nothing to do with the successes of American foreign policy. Unfortunately for Johnson, the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race - and the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race alone - were what bankrupted the natural-resource rich Soviet states. The United States fought and won the Cold War economically, by forcing the East into a battle it could not win - a battle where the biggest spender (necesarily the economically liberal west) wins by default. Left to its own devices, the Soviet states could have persisted indefinitely in moderate prosperity thanks to the global capital markets and the value of their domestic resources, the lunacy of their domestic economics aside. See China, India, and even Venezuela today.
Johnson further argues that the Pentagon failed to "restructure" and/or "demobilize" following the Cold War. This is categorically false. The United States military (particularly its Army and Air Force) was phased down radically in the two decades between the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the September 11th terrorist attacks. A signifigant Naval presence was maintained as a matter of apparent national necessity - even without a Soviet Union, the post-globalization world demanded the West have at least one member capable of global power projection as a simple matter of motivated self interest. The United States has ALWAYS maintained a signifigant peace-time naval capacity, however. This is nothing new and certainly no product of a "military-industrial" complex. Washington himself, that great hero of the anti-military renegades and oft-quoted as decrying standing armies, comission the first permanent and standing warships of the USN to protect the young country against - whoulda thunk it - Islamic terrorists.
Johnson then argues that the Pentagon's involvement in the war on drugs and terror is a dishonest effort at justification of a bloated budget, but this is historically inane. The American armed forces have always been intimately involved in the enforcement of extramilitary foreign policy. American soldiers pursued Mexican criminals across our sothern border over a century and a half ago. We have dispatched the Navy repeatedly throughout our history to deal with piracy and barbarism when local authorities have been noncooperative. The war on drugs - and military involvement therewith - is simply an extension of this legacy. So, too, is the war on terror.
Everything this book argues is backwards and apparently nonsensical. And everything that Johnson proports to be a "new" product of post-Cold War Pentagon amokism is as old as the Republic he so claims to love. The man could do well to get himself an elementary history lesson, and to spend 15 minutes outside the safe, secure, and utterly arealistic ivory tower that is American elite society. Our half a trillion dollar military is the foundation that keeps his - and to an extent all of our - tower(s) of ignorance erect and pristine. We would all do well to realize that our lives and lifestyles are both historically unprecedented, and unique to our borders and our civilization even today. THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES NOT LIVE AND THINK LIKE WE DO.
The United States maintains the worlds largest and most capable standing army in the history of the planet not because it wants to, but because it must. The world is a dark place. Most if its people are not like Americans (and Westerners), and most of its countries are not as benevolent as America (and the Western world). While the rest of our civilization surrenders its capacity and will to defend itself and its ideological allies, the United States has willfully chosen to bear the burden alone, knowing full well the costs and consequences of this decision. We do this because we have confidence in this old, and grand, Republic. And because we know better than to trust and surrender our fates to the good-will of our less Republican neighbors.
Secrets of our Empire............2007-07-26
Truly a revealing expose of things you never knew about our American military and related.....now you do...and it may surprise you or scare you.....read this book...very revealing.....
might does not make right.......2007-07-03
From George Washington and James Madison to Eisenhower's farewell address in 1961, some of our country's greatest leaders have warned about the dangers of standing armies and the military-industrial complex. In this second installment of his "inadvertent trilogy" about the costs and consequences of America's belligerent empire, Chalmers Johnson describes in meticulous detail the nature and extent of American militarism. In his first book, Blowback (2000), he warned that our global militarism and predatory economic policies virtually assure retaliations for decades to come. He published Blowback about eighteen months before the 9/11 attacks, and in retrospect his warning now reads like a diagnosis. His third volume, Nemesis (2006), is more like an autopsy; it describes our destiny with Nemesis, "the goddess of retribution and vengeance, the punisher of pride and hubris" (in Greek, "nemesis" means "to give what is due").
Unlike ancient empires, our imperial hegemony consists not of conquered territories but of military bases. Today the Department of Defense admits that America deploys 254,788 (double that number if you include dependents) military personnel to at least 725 military bases in 153 countries (there are 189 countries in the United Nations). That does not include numerous secret and officially nonexistent bases. Our own country is home to 969 separate bases in all fifty states. It's hard to believe, writes Johnson, that at the beginning of World War II our regular army consisted of 186,000 men; today it numbers 1.4 million. Nor is this any longer a citizen's army, but instead a professional warrior class (41% of whom are nonwhite).
Johnson's book documents our militarism beginning with the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American war; Woodrow Wilson's fervent belief in America's moral exceptionalism and obligation to export democracy to the world; the incestuous marriage of the military to the incredibly lucrative for-profit arms industry, and merry-go-round of former military and corporate personnel; America's sale of weapons to the world; our violations of international treaties and courts that have generated global distrust of much of what we say and do; the roles of oil (our import levels are "at the highest levels ever recorded") and Israel; and the predatory nature of economic globalization.
In a final chapter Johnson suggests four sorrows of our militaristic empire that he now considers all but unavoidable: a state of perpetual war, the loss of democratic processes and institutions, endemic lying by the state (glorification of war, disinformation, propaganda, etc.), and financial ruin. Empires don't last forever, he reminds us. In the last hundred years nine "empires" have collapsed: Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, China, Austro-Hungaria, and the Ottomans. Despite our deep delusion about our good intentions and moral exceptionalism, we have no reason whatsoever to expect that history will treat our belligerence and hubris any differently. What we should expect is a meeting with Nemesis.
Better Than Blowback.......2007-06-10
In the first nine chapters of the book, Johnson writes about his perception of an increasing American militarism, and also says there is an emerging American empire. He also describes the privatization of the military through war merchants and mercenaries. A solid case is made against some members of the current administration, but he doesn't spare Clinton's "globalization" in the book either. The tenth and last chapter alone is nearly worth the price. After making a very strong case for the United States to turn from its interventionist tendencies of the last 30 years, Johnson outlines four great dangers the USA will face as it wades deeper into the waters of interventionism. He finds fault with all recent past presidential administrations, and says that Congress has abandoned its duties and responsibilities in favor of greasy palmed careerism.
Like the first part of the trilogy, Chalmers Johnson writes about blowback, a CIA term for unintended consequences of covert action. His theory is that the perils of blowback are increasing, and the country is rapidly descending farther and farther away from its democratic moorings and into a militaristic empire.
This book is written in a more interesting style than part 1 ("Blowback") and keeps the reader interested through out.
Weakness-Some of the original source work is not strong and it is clearly written with a more popular audience in mind. For example, the suspect web site Capital Hill Blue is used as a source. So, perhaps some of the evidence presented is flawed, but the main theme still rings true.
This book, coupled with "Blowback" have seriously altered my thinking of foreign policy matters. I recommend both.
What else has Mr. Johnson done for the Republic lately?.......2007-06-03
Gore Vidal has been writing far longer and more eloquently than Mr. Johnson on the end of the Republic as a consequence of the American Empire. Mr. Johnson adds a dispassionate and steadily accumulating set of figures, monetary and otherwise, that show the true costs of the American Empire and its negative eroding effects on the Republic.
This is Mr. Johnson's second book in his "American Empire Project". The first Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (Second Edition), published before the events of Sept. 11, 2001 now seems eerily prescient. That book pointed out the unintended but inevitable consequences of American foreign policy and interference abroad and suggested a consequent "blowback".
The problem I have with Mr. Johnson and other eminent diagnosticians, even Vidal (though he did try running for elected office in CA a long time ago), is they seem unwilling to go further than write books. Mr. Johnson makes much (pp. 12) of Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the US Constitution which says "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." Now the latter clause regarding publication of accounts has been honored only in the breach, at least in recent times. I wrote Mr. Johnson asking "What legal attempts by private citizens have been made thus far to attempt to have this provision enforced?" Mr. Johnson replies that "You ask an excellent question but it would take a Constitutional lawyer to answer it." Now if I am to trust Mr. Johnson in his avowed belief in the Republic, its Constitution and the enforcement thereof, I would have expected him to have explored this avenue of enforcement already.
Given that the Republic is not yet dead, and that the rule of law is at least intermittently permitted, and that the courts are not yet entirely corrupt or partisan. I for one don't understand why those of Mr. Johnson's ilk, with their resources, don't approach the courts or petition the few honest or semi-honest legislators left to force the light of day on the costs and consequences of our empire. At least then, no citizen of this our disappearing Republic will be able to say that Mr. Johnson didn't do his best to tell them so. Only writing books doesn't cut it.
Customer Reviews:
AMERICA IN A BIRTH TO DEATH TREND .......2006-08-27
INFORMATION AND PERSPECTIVE ABOUT AMERICAN GOVERNMENT THAT IS UNKNOWN TO AMERICANS. A COMPELLING EXPOSURE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN NATION'S PATH OF SUCICIDE JUST AS HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY ALL FORMER GREAT NATIONS. A REVEALING STORY OF NEGATIVE POLITICIAN HUMAN BEHAVIOR THAT INDOCTRINATED AMERICAN'S ARE CLUELESS OF.
Product Description
After the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as "reluctant sheriff," and, in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important best-seller, Chalmers Johnson explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling its people to pick up the burden of empire.
Recalling the classic warnings against militarism--from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex--Johnson turns to the present, showing that this militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization, bankrupting the United States, and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon--with the Pentagon in the lead.
Product Description
After the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as "reluctant sheriff," and, in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important best-seller, Chalmers Johnson explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling its people to pick up the burden of empire.
Recalling the classic warnings against militarism--from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex--Johnson turns to the present, showing that this militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization, bankrupting the United States, and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon--with the Pentagon in the lead.
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The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (Blowback Trilogy) (Blowback Trilogy)
Chalmers Johnson
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audio Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
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ASIN: 1433204827 |
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After the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as "reluctant sheriff," and, in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important best-seller, Chalmers Johnson explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling its people to pick up the burden of empire.
Recalling the classic warnings against militarism--from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex--Johnson turns to the present, showing that this militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization, bankrupting the United States, and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon--with the Pentagon in the lead.
Product Description
After the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as "reluctant sheriff," and, in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important best-seller, Chalmers Johnson explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling its people to pick up the burden of empire.
Recalling the classic warnings against militarism--from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex--Johnson turns to the present, showing that this militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization, bankrupting the United States, and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon--with the Pentagon in the lead.
Product Description
After the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as "reluctant sheriff," and, in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important best-seller, Chalmers Johnson explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling its people to pick up the burden of empire.
Recalling the classic warnings against militarism--from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex--Johnson turns to the present, showing that this militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization, bankrupting the United States, and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon--with the Pentagon in the lead.
Product Description
The complete three volumes, all First Editions, First Printings, of what became a Trilogy, originally published in 2000, 2004 and 2006.
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Reading, writing, and 'rithmetic--that's what it's all about. With these three pint-size board books, young scholars can begin the walk down the grand path of knowledge. These straightforward First Learning books uphold DK Publishing's reputation for clear, colorful, educational board books for young readers. Each one uses photographs of familiar objects such as balls, ladybugs, teapots, cows, and swimsuits to illustrate learning concepts.
My First ABC Board Book takes the traditional alphabet book approach: an upper- and lower-case letter appears on each page, along with pretty pictures of objects beginning with that letter (ant, buttons, cucumber). My First Number Board Book teaches essential preschool number skills: 1--one fluffy kitten, 2--two striped socks, 3--three birthday presents, and so on, with lovely full-page photos of each object. The bestselling My First Word Board Book is a mini picture "dictionary," with categories such as "In the garden," "Things that go," and "All about me." Photographs of related items (rake, soil, flower, snail, wheelbarrow) with the associated word help young readers categorize objects and connect words to images. With this perfect little package of all three books, even the tiniest tots can begin to expand their vocabulary and learn to count! (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
Perfect for birthdays and baby shower gifts, this beautifully packaged box set includes three My First classics: the My First Word, My First ABC, and My First Number Board Books. Giving kids a head start on a lifetime of reading, the best-selling My First series has been highly acclaimed by parents and educators alike since it was first published. With the My First Learning Library Box Set, kids learn the basic skills of reading and recognition while having fun with a sturdy and attractive little book that's just their size. A world of knowledge awaits!
Customer Reviews:
Great Purchase.......2007-01-18
I bought these books for my son who is 16 months old. He loves them and I find him taking them out and turning the pages while smiling or laughing at the bright pictures. We go over the pages together too. I think they are great and they are also very durable.
among childrens favorite.......2003-08-06
Our kids will bring these books to us over and over pointiong to animals objects and look at us waiting to hear the name of the object. It's become one of our favorite things to do.
Great books for any kid!.......2003-04-26
My son is 18 months, and these have been his favorite books for a long time. Compact, a good size for him, and good for travelling. The photos seem to appeal more to my son than the cartoon graphics in many childrens book.
They are so popular with my son, that they have been used so much that they will need replacing before too long. Not that this any problem with the books themselves, just heavy use!
You cannot go wrong with this set.
Awesome books!.......2003-03-26
These books are so great!! My twin girls got them when they turned one, and they have learned so many words from them! They can name so many different things! The animal book is also really great! The only complaint I have is that some of the pictures are so generic that it is really hard to even tell what it is, but that is really hard to do in a book. That is when you go and get the real thing and show it to your toddler and name it for them!! They do put some less common things in them as well, though, to really challenge them and expand their vocabulary. There are a few animals in the Animal Book that I hadn't even heard of!! These are great for the car because they will keep your toddler occupied for a while. They will flip through the book naming everything!! I was amazed at how fast my girls learned so many words. They are 22 months, and they know all their letters, all their colors, all their shapes, most every animal and its sound, and I think these books have helped them learn a lot of those things! I don't even know how many words they know, but they pretty much know everything in all three books! These are their favorite books and have been for months and months. They will not get tired of them quickly because there are soooo many pictures! This also makes a great gift for a first birthday!
Great books! Wonderful for autistic kids!.......2003-03-21
My son is autistic and we have several books from this author, but this set of 3 is my favorite! There are so many wonderful pictures and the pictures are of things that are very interesting to little kids. I've also used many of the pictures in these books as part of our PECS program. My son just loves these and even my 6 year old daughter likes to try to read the words in the books. They're so sturdy they'll last me through my infant son's childhood as well.
Product Description
Twenty-six no nonsense rhymes and pictures. Colorful! !
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In My Toy Box (My First Golden Sound Story)
Golden Books
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Baby Animals (My First Golden Sound Story)
ASIN: 0307740536
Release Date: 1993-12-01 |
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My First Learning Box
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1575840650 |
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Numbers (My First Learning Box)
Manufacturer: Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1740480902 |
Product Description
Beautifully illustrated children's learning book for numbers. Appropriately geared to early learning.
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Blowback, Second Edition: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire
Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic (American Empire Project)
Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq
The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War
