Hegemony or Survival

October 13, 2003
In this highly readable, heavily footnoted critique of American foreign policy from the late 1950s to the present, Chomsky (whose 9-11
was a bestseller last year) argues that current U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are not a specific response to September 11, but simply the continuation of a consistent half-century of foreign policy—an "imperial grand strategy"—in which the United States has attempted to "maintain its hegemony through the threat or use of military force." Such an analysis is bound to be met with skepticism or antagonism in post–September 11 America, but Chomsky builds his arguments carefully, substantiates claims with appropriate documentation and answers expected counterclaims. Chomsky is also deeply critical of inconsistency in making the charge of "terrorism." Using the official U.S. legal code definition of terrorism, he argues that it is an exact description of U.S. foreign policy (especially regarding Cuba, Central America, Vietnam and much of the Middle East), although the term is rarely used in this way in the U.S. media, he notes, even when the World Court in 1986 condemned Washington for "unlawful use of force" ("international terrorism, in lay terms" Chomsky argues) in Nicaragua. Claiming that the U.S. is a rogue nation in its foreign policies and its "contempt for international law," Chomsky brings together many themes he has mined in the past, making this cogent and provocative book an important addition to an ongoing public discussion about U.S. policy. (Nov.)

FYI:
This is the first title in the new American Empire Project, which the publisher describes as "provocative and critical books that will focus on the increasingly imperial cast of America's government and policy."

The much-respected linguist, Noam Chomsky, makes a brief appearance at the beginning of this densely written audiobook. While he has an interesting voice, it's a blessing that Brian Jones takes care of the reading duties, which he does with little trouble, despite the preponderance of layered concepts deeply steeped in historical layers of democratic deeds and misdeeds. Hegemony? A word not many of us kick around the water cooler, but used often enough here for listeners to appreciate Chomsky's erudite outrage at the course of American events since the nation's inception. In this revealing and well-researched work, which is sure to raise the hackles of Republican listeners, Chomsky is the foil to Orwell's Big Brother--twenty years after 1984. D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2003
Chomsky bemoans America's carrying imperialist tendencies into space.

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