A fear of American decline
I had not heard of Noam Chomsky before the events of September 11 2001 but after that time, and with the actions of the Bush Administration, he suddenly rose to prominence, at least in my life. My ideas have changed since I first heard of Chomsky however that does not mean that I hold him and his philosophy in any less regard. While I may not agree that Chomsky is the greatest intellectual of our time, his writings are very influential.
Chomsky first came to prominence with his work in linguistics, but his political activism arose at the time of the Vietnam war, and along with Howard Zinn and Daniel Elsberg. Since then he has been a leading critic of American Empire and Hegemony. This is the topic of this book.
Chomsky explores the development of this desire for empire (and many of his books follow the same theme). He does not target any particular party or president, and you will find that he is just as critical of Obama (though this book pre-dates Obama) as he is of George Bush Jr and Ronald Regan. What concerns Chomsky the most is hippocracy, especially when it comes to Israel. In one of his books he writes about how a bombing campaign was orchestrated because of the killing of a single Jew on a hijacked ship, while hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians were killed in this bombing raids with out any retaliation whatsoever. While all life is sacred, Chomsky is angered that hundreds of innocents can be killed without repercussion.
Chomsky is concerned about freedom, justice, and the survival of the human species. His writings don't focus on specific corporations, but rather takes a broader view that encompasses human rights and the propping up of dictatorships. His thesis is that the American government (and as mentioned, this does not relate to a single party but rather the system itself) fears losing control, and because it is ruled by that fear they must do all in their power to prevent this control from being eroded.
When I first found this book the friend of mine that lent it to me said 'he hates America'. I don't think Chomsky hates America but rather he is concerned at the 'Mandarins' that are in control. While some might call this a conspiracy theory, I have found Chomsky's arguments to be much more considered and thoughtful than many of the right wing extremists that rage against anything that suggests American nationalism is undermined (and it is because of these extremists that my brother and myself will have difficulties even getting into the United States).
