イラク戦争関係の書籍を調べていて、たまたま出会った本著。その情報量の多さ、そして分析の鋭さには敬服してしまいます。今まで様々なニュースソースから得ていた情報が、まるでジグソーパズルの一片一片が本来の位置に収まり、次第に絵柄がはっきり見えてくるような、そんな知的興奮を感じると共に、星条旗の背景に見え隠れする「怪物」のあまりの恐ろしさに言いようのない恐怖を覚えます。アメリカでは、読者から極めて高い評価を得ているのにも関わらず、日本国内ではほとんど本著の存在すら知られていないのは、一体どうしてなのでしょう。是非、翻訳を出版して、政治に携わる皆さんだけでなく、広く日本の皆さんに読んで欲しいと思います。現在の様な形のアメリカとの同盟関係が本当に日本のためになるのかどうか、もっと日本人は真剣に考えなければならないのではないでしょうか。

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The latest from the prolific American foreign policy critic (also a Japanapologist, quite popular among Japanophile-readers). Once again, profusely decorated with his favourite dramatic term "empire".

Provides statistics in somnolent detail--bases , troop numbers, dollar figures and all, including works by private companies with even the remotest connection to government. Overkill for the amateur reader, but amateurish for a policy researcher.

The gist of Johnson's argument goes, "If you're walking down the street and get mugged, then it's your fault--you've acted in a manner which attracted and provoked the mugger, thus you should change your behaviour." Or another metaphor, "If you do well in class, you are emphasising the gap between your superiority and that of the school bully; so if he decides to resent and eventually act against you, you deserve it, and you need to realise that you are the real bully for flaunting what you have." Very dramatic--certain to attract attention, and gather advocates, for its simplicity in explaining a multitude of factors which would otherwise require greater intellect and analysis to comprehend.

Except that it simplifies for the sake of convenience, at the expense of facts and common sense. It fails to point out, for a start, the spirit of terrorism, and the root cause of dissatisfied unemployed illiterate citizens in the very countries that the sacrificed recruits come from.

An immensely-fulfilling read for those who suspect a perennial neo-conservative conspiracy, especially anti-Bush radicals.

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