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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." Here, Chalmers
Johnson thoroughly explores the new militarism that is transforming
America and compelling its people to pick up the burden
of empire.
Reminding us of 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.
Chalmers Johnson, president of the Japan
Policy Research Institute and professor emeritus at the
University of California, San Diego, is a frequent contributor
to the Los Angeles Times and The Nation. His
previous books include MITI and the Japanese Miracle
and Japan: Who Governs? He lives near San Diego.
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