Noam Chomsky is one of the greatest scientists and men of letters in the world today; however his virulent critique of U.S. foreign and domestic policy ensure that his work is derided and undermined by the corporate media. Failed States is an engaging, relatively simple (for Chomsky), and lucid account of how the American government is acting as a negative force in the world today. Chomsky gives insight into how the government manipulates facts and polls to create public opinion. In America, the...

Such an intense book. Masses of evidence condensed down into as close to the truth as we're ever going to get - and it's a depressing truth. I found the whole book stimulating to read, but it was the 6th chapter, "Democracy Promotion at Home" (which strayed from the main focus of the book - American foreign policy), that I found most interesting. In it, Chomsky basically predicts the current financial meltdown in the US and the reasons for it. He then leads on from this into the healthcare debat...

New life goal unlocked: Read Everything professor Chomsky has written

Propaganda is to democracy what violence is to autocracy.Failed States starts with an extraordinary appeal issued to the people of the world, by Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein in July,1955. According to them the choice facing the world is "stark and dreadful and inescapable: shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war".Chomsky says that the world has not only not renounced war, but the world's hegemonic power accords itself the right to wage war at will, under a

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My thoughts on Chomsky’s previous US/global politics book for the general public also applies strongly to his follow-up: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...The Missing:--Of the many books by Chomsky, I must say I would start elsewhere:1) Intro: Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky is the perfect place to start; fantastic editing. The Essential Chomsky has some of his key essays as well. 2) Media propaganda: Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies (for eloquent...

There’s a line in Victor Serge’s Memoirs of a Revolutionary that comes back to me whenever I get trapped in a conversation with a political nutbar. Writing about some Soviet apparatchik that he’d butted heads with, Serge says, “I followed his argument with the blank uneasiness which one might feel in the presence of a logical lunatic.”Noam Chomsky fills me with blank uneasiness. Now, the man’s no lunatic—let’s get that straight. He’s a gifted scientist and, in some ways, an admirable citizen. Bu...

One of the many dozens of books professor Chomsky has produced over several decades, in this book - as always - he points out how hypocritical the behavior of the US government is. It says one thing while doing another, 'democracy promotion' for example. While allegedly trying to install a democracy in Iraq, democracy is desperately needed at home. Chomsky makes this hypocrisy seem so obvious that it would be almost comical if it weren't so tragic.Unfortunately Chomsky does seem to repeat himsel...

If there were any one thing that Noam Chomsky should be revered for, it would have to be his indelible use of evidence. In his latest authored work entitled Failed States, Chomsky meticulously sifts through use of the rhetoric of principles and compares to its actual practice, presenting a chilling exposition of, “The (American) Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy.”1 Throughout the book, Chomsky focuses his attention on the deterioration of domestic democracy in the United States and ela...

I think it's obvious to point out why this book is unpopular with people who hold a false idea about the "greatness" that is the United States. Chomsky basically crushes that idea with facts. I don't really care if you and I hold two different/opposite political views, but we must agree that Chomsky presents accurate data. He does not fool around. So whatever your political beliefs may be, you need to read this book.The ideas and facts presented in this book revolve around the United States as a...

Reading Chomsky always disturbs me. I’m left feeling washed out and despondent. He presents the problems of the world so vividly that it is impossible not to be confronted by the enormity of the issues that confront us. He re-values and re-evaluates received wisdom, the sorts of views we get from watching news programs or reading current affairs articles, to such an extent that one is left wondering if everything we are ever told is basically just another lie. Because that is it – one comes away...

When history is crafted in the service of power, evidence and rationality are irrelevant.Hazrat Chomsky is very popular with Pakistani literati and for good reason, as he presents the other aspects of the momentous world events which together makes the story somewhat complete.Consider the very obvious and rational argument, the top nation of the world, número uno country of the world, the mighty USA, misbehaving, openly flaunting, imperiously rejecting all international laws it expects rogue and...

Mind... Blown.I know it's all about everything we already know, the political truisms like America's efforts to maintain hegemony in the world rather than promoting democracy at home and abroad; that the Iraq war, and all the other 'wars on terror' have led to more terrorists taking over the stage than resulting in a crackdown of terrorist organisations once and for ever; that America's governmental decisions and foreign policies do not represent the majority opinion of it's people. Nevertheless...

Diatribe by a pompus windbag in love with his own intellect. Condesending to the reader, Chomsky wants you to know that he is wiser and smarter than you are and in an annoying suck tooth way is usually right. His points always seem overblown, hyper-stated and always imply evil intent of those he accuses breathlessly. Yet the most maddening thing about this book is that its right all the way down the line, proving once again that just because you're an asshole doesn't mean you're wrong.

"Orwell would not have known whether to laugh or weep."This is a LOT of information. Much of which is relatively foreign (lol) to me, much of which isn't, but all of it doesn't surprise me. I can't say I can confidently confirm it all, as there are so very many claims here that I'm only now learning, but 1. It all follows what I'd expect from the US 2. It's footnoted to the damn moon 3. The consecutive research I did myself holds up. I'm sure that if I was more politically involved (or alive) fo...

Scholarly but readable work which will keep you on your toes as the author (or should I say the inimitable Chomsky) expects the reader to follow closely and pay attention, a reasonable expectation given the amount of work he has put in. Essentially, it is an examination of why the United States of America qualifies as a failed state, and the lengthy argument, well supported by notes and an index, may perhaps best be summarized by referring to Chomsky's own summary in the Afterword:«One commonly

Noam Chomsky makes a powerful statement why the United States - as a self proclaimed symbol of democracy in the world - does not abide by its own self proclaimed ideals. In fact, far from being a safeguard for freedom and security, the United states is more busy with securing its own economic and geopolitical interests.As the most powerful state in the world, the USA is claiming the right to have its own influence and say on its actions, even where it is in conflict with for example the Geneva C...

The first part: simply a random string of inflammatory, sarcastic statements. Not particularly well-crafted. However, it grew on me. Extremely informative, and compelling, even if (especially since?) it nags the thoughtful reader to check many things in other sources. A mind-boggling compendium of information, obnoxiously slanted. Part of me thinks that it's overdone if it causes me (of all people) to wonder if Chomsky is off his rocker with regard to more than a few things. In other words, that...

Twisting the idea of the failed state22 July 2011 I have read a few books by Noam Chomsky, and despite him being a very accessible writer, and a profound intellectual, his books tend to all be on the same theme and seem to cover the same ground. In a way, I like to get an idea of Chomsky's views on recent events, and while his later books may give some insight, unfortunately you tend to have to go over a lot of old ground to get to the new ideas. Further, his take on the new events tend to simpl...

Though dry, this is a good and fairly updated overview of most of Chomsky's political positions. He continues to be vital, which is my favorite word for him. I would recommend starting with his interviews or conversations, however, as they're more accessible and engaging. The most accessible and comprehensive intro to Chomsky, out of the four books I've read, is the very lives-up-to-its-name Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky.What was most valuable about this book is that it gives Ch...