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

I found this book to be inspiring. I say that because it is poorly argued, poorly schemed and terribly repetitive but yet was published and went on to certain fame. Who says my half wit excuse for writing can't accomplish the same? Joking aside, this is another naive book about the place of a United States Empire. Johnson takes long enough trying to convince the reader the United States is an empire (a 'duh' fact in my book) and projects the eventual fall of the United States by comparing current problems to ones that took down the Roman Empire. I was not convinced the situation of an Empire hundreds of years ago has much relevancy to one today. Johnson may speak some basic theoretical truth, but he has no more insight over the course of his book than an essayist does in just ten pages. Johnson focuses so much on the general nature of Empire that basic points he makes are often repeated. The author figures a sympathetic audience to his concern will be able to accept the mediocrity. Agreeability isn’t enough for me to recommend this book. The United States is an Empire, but that’s the basis, not the extent, of analytical discussion.