The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (American Empire Project)

Publisher's description: With the words "this Crusade, this war on terror," George W. Bush defined the purpose of his presidency. And just as promptly, James Carroll-Boston Globe columnist, son of a general, former antiwar chaplain and activist, and recognized voice of ethical authority-began a week-by-week argument with the administration over its actions. In powerful, passionate bulletins, Carroll dissected the President's exploitation of the nation's fears, invocations of a Christian mission, and efforts to overturn America's traditional relations-with other nations and its own citizens. Crusade, the collection of Carroll's searing columns, offers a comprehensive and tough-minded critique of the war on terror. From Carroll's first rejection of "war" as the proper response to Osama bin Laden, to his prescient verdict of failure in Iraq, to his never-before-published analysis of the faith-based roots of current U.S. policies, this volume displays his rare insight and scope. Combining clear moral consciousness, an acute sense of history, and a real-world grasp of the unforgiving demands of politics, Crusade is a compelling call for the rescue of America's noblest traditions. A cry from the heart, a record of protest, and a permanently relevant analysis, Carroll's work confronts the Bush era and measures it against what America was meant to be. Part One. Onward Christian. 1. Holy War. Law Not War ; The Pentagon Mourning ; This Crusade, This War ; Gandhi's Birthday ; Religion: Problem or Solution? 2. Afghanistan. But What Changed? ; The Bombing Reconsidered ; Why I Love This Country ; This War Is Not Just ; The Way the War Ends 3. War At Home. Robert Kennedy and John Ashcroft ; Advent in a Time of Terror ; The Unjustice Department ; Red Christmas ; New Year's Resolutions. Part Two. Soldiers Marching. 4. Dead or Alive. U.S. Moves Fuel Bellicosity Elsewhere ; The Axis to Fear ; Bush the Radical ; America as Sparta ; Pakistan versus India 5. Jerusalem. Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Peace ; The Palestinian and the Israeli ; Lost Children of the Conflict ; The Disappearing Border ; Suicide-Murder 6. Afraid. In the Bunker ; America the Fearful ; American Mortality ; The Coming War in Iraq ; Lies, Damned Lies ; A Mistake, and a Crime ; Catholic Collapse and U.S. Foreign Policy ; So Who Do I Think I Am? 7. Drumbeat. Inarticulate and Proud of It ; The War Anniversary ; Good Doubt, Bad Faith ; The President's Nuclear Threat ; Antiwar Then, Antiwar Now 8. Hostage. Threshold Period ; Taken Hostage ; The Purpose of the War ; Toeing the Fault Line of Fear ; A Missile Cover-up at MIT? ; What the Seven Died For 9. Moral Memory. Philip Berrigan ; The Christmas Bombing ; The Last Year ; The Twenty-ninth Day. Part Three. As to War. 10. Iraq. At the United Nations ; The Age of Innocence ; Watch the War with Both Eyes ; A War Policy in Collapse ; A Meditation on War ; At War in Iraq 11. Questions. An April Fools' Day Surprise ; The Answer Is No ; A Nation Lost ; Moral Awareness in Korea ; The Absolute Weapon 12. Recognitions. Bad Weather over America ; Antisemitism and Israel ; Palestinian Pain and Hope ; Millennial War ; To Love America 13. Lost. Ridding the World of Evil ; Unintelligence ; Was the War Necessary? ; The Habit of Revenge ; The War Is Lost 14. War Spreads. The Other 9-11 ; From Politics to Resistance ; Antiterrorism Creed ; Boykin's Bigger God ; Full-Spectrum Dominance 15. Every Occupation Ends Badly. The Solution Is the Problem ; Day of Remembrance ; JFK's November ; Of Thanks and Mercy ; Why Peace Won't Come ; Captives: Hussein and Hiroshima ; A Year in America 16. The Passions of War. But McGovern Was Right ; State of the Union ; Dying for a Mistake ; The Real Passions of Christ ; A Wall Across the World ; An Obscene Portrayal of Christ's Passion ; One Year Later Epilogue.

Excerpt

From The Sorrows of Empire:

As of September 2001, the Department of Defense acknowledged that at least 725 military bases exist outside the United States. Actually, there are many more, since some bases exist under informal agreements or disguises of various kinds. And others have been created in the years since. This military empire ranges from al-Udeid air base in the desert of Qatar, where several thousand troops live in air-conditioned tents, to expensive, permanent garrisons built in such unlikely places as southeastern Kosovo,

Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Much like the British bases in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Srinagar—those north Indian hill stations used for the troops’ rest and recreation in the summer heat—U.S. armed forces operate a ski and vacation center at Garmish in the Bavarian Alps, a resort hotel in downtown Seoul, and 234 military golf courses worldwide. Seventy-one Learjets, thirteen Gulfstream IIIs, and seventeen Cessna Citation luxury jets are ready and waiting when U.S. admirals and generals come due for some R&R.

(Continues...) Excerpted from The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson. Copyright © 2004 by Chalmers Johnson. Excerpted by permission of Henry Holt and Co..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. In the years after the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globeαs βlone superpower,γ then as a βreluctant sheriff,γ next as the βindispensable nation,γ and now, in the wake of 9/11, as a βNew Rome.γ 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 militarism2from George Washingtonαs farewell address to Dwight Eisenhowerαs denunciation of the military-industrial complex2Johnson uncovers its roots deep in our past. Turning to the present, he maps Americaαs expanding empire of military bases and the vast web of services that supports them. He offers a vivid look at the new caste of professional warriors who have infiltrated multiple branches of government, who classify as βsecretγ everything they do, and for whom the manipulation of the military budget is of vital interest. Among Johnsonαs provocative conclusions is that American militarism is 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 Rubicon2with the Pentagon leading the way of the American Empire......Page p1 1. Imperialisms, Old and New......Page p15 2. Roots of Amer. Militarism......Page p39 3. Toward the New Rome......Page p67 4. Institutions of Militarism......Page p97 5. Surrogates & Mercenaries......Page p131 6. The Empire of Bases......Page p151 7. The Spoils of War......Page p187 8. Iraq Wars......Page p217 9. What Globalization?......Page p255 10. The Sorrows of Empire......Page p283 Notes......Page p313 Acknowledgments......Page p367 Index......Page p369 Examines American militarism and its repercussions at home and abroad, sounding a warning about the military-industrial complex and analyzing its influence on American policy making Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : Prologue : American leaders now like to compare themselves to imperial Romans, even though they do not know much Roman history.