By it's original definition, blowback is the backwards escape of unexploded gunpowder when firing a handgun. In diplomatic terms, it is an unpredicted, negative response against a nation in regards to a diplomatic action that country has undertaken.
The United States, through its underhanded dealings with its enemies, has caused blowback many times throughout its history, leading to bad diplomatic relations and hundreds of millions of people dead.
by QueenVee January 05, 2004