Few literary moments stand out more for me then when "Blowback: The Cost and Consequences of American Imperialism" appeared on the library shelf in 2000. I had discovered an incredibly contrarian and prescient voice with the credibility of an economist/ Navy Lt/CIA consultant and was hooked. Johnson called into question US motives overseas and the potential repercussions and costs of our attempt at hegemony.
Like the early oracles of the 2008 financial crisis, Johnson attempted to highlight the threats posed by current policy and correct the cycle. Johnson viewed the American publics ignorance regarding these policies as equally destructive:
“When the retaliation comes, as it did so spectacularly on Sept. 11, 2001, the American public is unable to put the events in context. So they tend to support acts intended to lash out against the perpetrators, thereby most commonly preparing the ground for yet another cycle of blowback.”
Continuing the theme in “The Sorrows of Empire” (2004), “Nemesis” (2006) and “Dismantling the Empire” (2010) all text book in their reporting on how the attempt at hegemony laid out in "Blowback" continued to play out even in our own democratic process.
That cassandra's like Dr. Johnson are not given a greater voice in society to communicate their righteously well intentioned and informed perspective is unfortunate. That he passed November 20th is as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment