The Cost of Unintended Consequences

The premise of Blowback is very interesting. It aims to examine the role of shortsighted policy decisions made by the U.S. and the long-term, unintended consequences they created.

This is another book I chose to read, rather listen to, after discovering it on the Army Chief of Staff’s recommended reading list for 2013.  The book was listed of the CoS’ list under the section for broadening leaders.  The list is intended to “complement materials currently used in the Army educational system and can help bridge the intervals between periods of formal instruction at Army schools. It is imperative for members of the Army profession to be well-read in all aspects of our honorable and selfless calling.”   Blowback was described by the CoS as “how poorly formed policy can lead to disastrous and unintended consequences” and “the need for the United States to reevaluate its strategic requirements and to formulate a new foreign policy that relies less on military presence and economic coercion. America’s misguided foreign policy, according to Johnson, drains enormous resources from taxpayers, fails to provide the nation with beneficial results, and harms our image abroad.”  The synopsis intrigued and it was available at the moment I needed a new audiobook.

The author, Chalmers Johnson, was a foreign policy expert, specifically in regards to Asia.  The book is named for the term used by the CIA unintended consequences of American actions.  Johnson discusses the way Marines on Okinawa have changed the landscape with the local government there.  There is a long history of misconduct by the USMC on the island and due to the status of forces agreement between the U.S. and Japan, most crimes committed by Marines are investigated and prosecuted by Americans.  That has led to a strong distaste for America from Okinawans as they rarely see the perpetrators of crime, even heinous crime like rape and murder, punished for their actions.

Blowback also discusses the U.S. support for Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party during the Iran-Iraq War and how that may have precipitated U.S. involvement there from 2002-present.  I had great interest on this topic as I have been twice since 2002 and the idea that a lack of forward thinking led to the decision to go to war is infuriating.

Unfortunately, the book is long on anecdotes and circumstantional evidence and short on direct cause and effect.  There aren’t suggestions for change short of “We must do better.”  I hoped for more but I wasn’t displeased with Blowback.