Rating: 
Summary: Weapons of Mass Distraction
Review: This is easily the most depressing book I've read. More so than any fictional tragedy ever conceived. I see it as the high-IQ version of "Dude, Where's My Country?"Even if Chomsky has half (50%!!, people) his facts wrong, the revelations and analysis in the book are shocking, outrageous and extremely cautionary. It speaks of a parallel universe of power-corrupted White House Machiavellis who routinely sacrifice innocent blood around the world to sustain the "american way of life";
Of a foreign policy that is committed to ravaging and de-stabilising economies by funding crackpot dictators (Idi Amin, Manuel Noreiga, Mobutu Sese Seko, Sukarno, Qaddafi and yes..Saddam Hussain) and then invading these countries to "liberate" them from the very same dictators. This is when the American Corporations waltz in to start exploting the natural wealth of these sad, sad countries. With staggering attention to detail, and in prose that is constantly quoting from numerous sources, American leaders' despicable tactics are documented and analyzed. Like some readers have remarked, a lot of what you will find in the book, is not in the popular memory. That is a sad triumph of the way the White House has wielded the media in this country as a propaganda machine and effectively rewritten recent history using "lofty rhetoric" and a feel-good theme. For Americans who may read the book, and yes this humble review, and may want to start opening their eyes to alternative realities (i.e., the Rest Of The World)..just stop reading and watching American media for your world updates. They only serve you propaganda. Get your news from third-party countries and/or press agencies...bbc.com, www.hinduonline.com , or what have you. The true meaning of "state sponsored terrorism" will become apparent to you. Chomsky has unearthed an infallible pattern in the "pretext of war" served up by the White House Administration over the years. It is a different country, a different set of brown-skinned people each time. I have culled the essence of the book, and the pattern described, for you busy folk who may not have the time to read the book - 0. Identify a target - any country that has a lot of Oil reserves or is strategically placed near one that has oil reserves, AND just a handful of boy scouts with sticks and stones to defend its borders. This is the ideal "soft target". DEFINITELY steer clear of opponents who may be hard to defeat, i.e., the Koreas and Pakistans of the world who actually HAVE nukes. This country represents billions and trillions of dollars of (someone else's) money. Its good. 1. Invent a reason to invade the country - Lie about one of its dictators being a threat to the US. If one does not exist, CREATE one, y'all! Give him arms and training to fight the Arabs or the Russians, or whatever. Then just wait in the wings until he takes one false step, one "unauthorized move". 2. Brainwash the simpleminded American folk by repeating this "threat" at all possible media occassions .. "That man is a threat to our country. Look at these satellite photographs, these reports....he has WMDs!!" 3. Thereby - get "popular support" 4. Bomb the country in question. 5. Repeat until satisfied. 6. Call it "liberation". Always. It goes down well with the people back home. 7. Push in with "Reconstruction/Restructuring Programs", so that all the Corporations (Haliburton, anybody?) that backed your campaigns get their thanks in dollars. Say that you are installing a "democratic" government of your choosing. 8. Pat yourself on the back for creating yet another overseas market for manufacturing surplus at home, and oh ! a source of cheap labour too. (You see, years of state sponsored terrorism has left this place with a shattered economy, no trade unions and people who will work before they ask for decent pay) 9. Set up a big oil pump there, keep the "american way of life" ticking over. Yaaaaaaaaaa! 10. American casualties? In all sincererity the leaders would see it as a very small price to pay, if at all. The numbers are very small, anyway...notwithstanding the monumental hype attached to even a single casualty. The number of deaths caused by American interference (claims the book) in Nicaragua ALONE - about 850,000 - is more than the sum of all American deaths in all wars from the Civil War through to the current war in Iraq. Digest that. Dont believe this? ...think back to Panama, Nicaragua, Angola, Vietnam, Lebanon...(whew! running out of breath here..) , Iraq, Venezuela, Phillipines. Dig up any source as long as its not American or American-sponsored. All the best with your investigation!
Rating:
Summary: Very sad...
Review: Reading this book I felt very sad. As a latin-american or a "naughty child" , I think it is incredible that the things that Mr. Chomsky describes in his book are not known by the majority of the american people....There is no surprise in this book for us. Our country was invaded twice (1916 and 1965)and we suffered state terrorism for many years...Everybody knew about the english speaking officers who instructed our army and police (very repressive institutions). We also have our own graduates from the Escuela de las Americas..Not that our army boys needed to go study there...because during the Trujillo dictatorship (supported by the USA Govt )we had real masters in the torture business..!!! You can find a lot of pictures of these torture sessions and recordings of the interrogations..but a warning..they will make you sick...I have in my memory the screaming in agony of a man that was tortured by the police...And I am afraid , that I am not going to erase that memory.... What makes me sad is that we know that the average american are good people, honest and hard working.And that honest and good people know nothing about some of the actions that their Govt undertakes..If they did , they surely will have a very strong opinion on this....USA is the leading force in the world now...and the world needs USA leadership... Please lead for democracy and equality!!!
This book is a must read for those interested in knowing what is happening and why...but also for those who wants to know
a different version of history...
Rating:
Summary: Brave Man
Review: Chomsky reveals much, though not all, in this polemic against dominance and human rights violations by THE GOOD GUYS (the USA). "America, love it or leave it" types will hate it as "Un-American." This begs the question: "What is American?" His knowledge of recent history is quite thorough. I rank it 5 stars for his bravery in speaking out in a country where "You had better be careful what you say (Donald Rumsfeld)."
Rating: 
Summary: As a political historian, Chomsky is a.....good linguist....
Review: As a general rule, I prefer it when people stay within the depths of their native talent. Noam Chomsky sadly continues to wade into the deep end, and like in every other political monotribe he's written, he sinks straight to the bottom here. If only he would stick to something he has the slightest clue about, he wouldn't come across as such a hollow man.
Rating: 
Summary: Chomsky the clown of the left
Review: Many people think that Chomsky is some sort of intelectual. However, in this book he shows himself to be little more then a crude sideshow. His anti american stance is well known and he sounds like Benedecit Arnold in the way he talks about his homeland.
Rating:
Summary: There is no Santa Claus, kids
Review: In 1986,Chomsky notes, the World Court of Justice ordered the United States to stop funding the contras and to pay massive reparations to Nicaragua. He quotes Michael Kinsley and Time Magazine lauding the massive attack on civilian targets that terrorized the Nicaraguan people into kicking out the Sandanistas as they did in 1990. He notes that the Sandinistas had won a free and fair election back in 1984. He observes that before U.S. terror had large effects, the inter-american development bank for laying a strong foundation for socio-economic development and UNICEF for dramatically reducing infant mortality praised Sandinista measures. Since 1990, half of working Nicaraguans have left the country to seek employment elsewhere and it is their remittances that keep the society afloat. He observes that the U.S. early on began supporting terrorism against Castro's Cuba by Cuban exiles. Sugar and oil refineries were destroyed, crops burned etc. Shortly after the Missile Crises, Cuban exiles blew up a factory killing 400 Cubans. In early 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff drew up rather diabolical proposals to stage terror attacks supposedly by Cubans to justify attacking Cuba. He points out that only a refusal of a Soviet submarine captain to fire nuclear missiles in retaliation for being fired upon by U.S. destroyer, saved the world from nuclear war in October 1962. He quotes a communication from the British ambassador to the U.S. in late 1959 that Allen Dulles wanted to deliberately turn Castro to the Soviets to justify overthrowing the former. He notes how the Reganites praised Nicolae Ceausescu's human rights record and showered him with aid. Most of the crimes for which Manuel Noriega was indicted occured when George Schultz was congratulating him for steatling elections. The U.S. invasion in 1989 managed to kill perhaps thousands of civilians (perhaps why only 11 percent of Panamanians according to polls supported U.S. military action in Afghanistan). And then there is Alan Simpson's former buddy Saddam... He notes how the U.s. avoided a peaceful settlement to the first Gulf war and deliberately destroyed Iraq's water and sanitation facilities, and prevented them from being repaired causing vast epidemics.
He notes how in 2003 Al Qaida blew up in Jiddah the civilian headquarters of a U.S. firm which trains the Saudi Palace Guard to protect the dictatorship from its own people. He observes that people in the Arab world despise Al Qaida but tolerate it as the only force standing up to unjust U.S. support for dictatorships and other unjust policies. Chomsky shows how the U.S. is worried about threats to its hegemony by events in East Asia. An oil pipeline from Siberia, through North Korea to China, South Korea, etc. would increase the regional strength of that region and leave out U.S. hegemony. Related to this is why the neocons are hostile to China. He quotes Arthur Schlesinger's report to JFK in Jan 1961 that Castro was inspiring the poor masses in Latin American countries to improve their lot. The fruits of Kennedy administration policy of course were the setting up of hideous regimes in Brazil in 1964 and Indonesia in 1965. Then there is what Bernard Fall bemoaned as the extinction of Vietnam. Then of course hundreds of thousands of people were slaughtered by U.S. backed forces in Central America in the 80's. He notes that in the Khrushchev years, the Russians unilaterally cut back significantly their conventional military forces in favor of concentrating on internal development but recieved no reciprocal gestures from the U.S. If the Russians had been able to seriously concentrate on internal reforms instead of military spending, then maybe the horrors woul have been avoided in the 1990's (e.g. ten million extra deaths in the 1990's largely result of privatized health care system) as well as things like the invasion of Afghanistan. The arms buildup of the U.S. in the Kennedy years might have been that which helped destroy the Soviet Union with all its terrible side effects, Chomsky suggests (not the build-up during the Reagan years). Chomsky quotes Adam Ulam and Melvyn Leffler that Beria and Stalin proposed a reunified Germany that would not be part of Nato.
He notes who the U.S. "roadmap" gives Israel the right to essentially continue building settlements indefinitely. He notes how the path of Sharon's wall follows the division of land of the "generous offer" Camp David 2000, plus more land is being expropriated near the wall. If one actually looks at a map of that supposedly generous proposal Chomsky notes, one sees three isolated cantons on the West Bank, separated by Israeli settlement blocks. The goal of the "Peace Process," according to Barak's foreign minister Shlomo Ben Ami in his 1998 book was to make the Palestinians into a "permanent neocolonial dependency." He observes that the suicide bombings have reduced the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed as decreased from 20 to 1 to 3 to 1. He points out how Israel deliberately avoided Sadat's 1971-peace offer and the 1976 UN resolution for a Palestinian state. He writes that the Osirak reaction was along way from producing plutonium but Israel's 1981 attack on it, accelerated Iraq's nuclear program. He writes a lot about how the administration's "missile defense' insanity, part of its overall plan to "own" space is causing arms proliferation. He writes that the Bush-Putin treaty of May 2002 appears to be a meaningless gesture. Russia will in fact upgrade its nuclear missiles, continuing to place them on hair trigger alert in response to U.S. plans. He notes how the Chinese were encouraged to buildup up their fleet of nuclear missiles in return for agreeing to dismantle arms control agreements. He notes how the Bush administration has undermined the Alien Tort Claims act.....
Rating:
Summary: Well-cited, always analytical, Chomsky does it again
Review: I would only like to caution the reviewer who followed Chomsky's sources back to another publication of his own. THIS IS COMMON AMONG UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS. If Chomsky has already written a piece to which he refers, check the sources of that piece. This is very normal among people who make a living off of research. Chomsky is no pundit and I challange any two-bit Amazon reviewer to go head-to-head with him.
Rating:
Summary: Clear Eyed View of the World
Review: Some people believe that holding America accountable for it's foreign policy decisions is no less than treasonous and anti-American. Thus they make the mistake of confusing the actions of the American government for the will of the people and rob this great Nation of any moral standing when criticizing the behavior of other nations. America has supported, trained and funded terrorism for years when it served the elite Washington interest to do so. Any 10 year-old with a curious mind and an Internet connection can tell you that. Chomsky is a true patriot. Not the cardboard chest-thumping kind we are usually fed as a standard mythological staple, but a thoughtful and intellectually precise critic of America so as to keep us honest and morally consistent. He has his work cut out for him. So ignore the Orange alert propaganda designed to keep us all cowering until election day and read this book for a fuller context of our (yes OUR. We elect these bozos) moral responsibility to the world as the great United States of America.
Rating:
Summary: Do The One Star Reviewers Read The Book ???
Review: I am commenting on the next review "looking at the center of the stars". The people that give the one or two stars - have they actually read the book? I think not. I was convinced of the facts in his book by a slow read. Anyone with an open mind would agree with the facts and most and I think over 90% of what is in the book is facts that cannot be disputed. It is just historical facts. Is he wrong to say that the US has invaded Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Granada, Panama, Somalia, Kosovo, Chile and Columbia through surrogates, or Lebanon, Iraq, bombed Yemen, and the Sudan? Is that anti-American? One loses track of the number of countries. One or two invasions is fine, there can be justifications, but 20 to 30 invasions outside the norms of international laws is a pattern of armed aggression under the guise of "freedom and democracy". That act by the government be it republican or democrat is wearing thin. The US is breeding a degree of wariness and distrust. Sure there are bad guys running around the planet but the US is wrong to act unilaterally - like a vigilante. As it is we have no international laws, the US acts on its own, and there is no international consensus to protect the environment or other issues. That is the point of his book. Jack in Toronto
Rating: 
Summary: Look to the Center of the Stars
Review: This is a graph of the star ratings that had been posted as of 3.12.2004:
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(12) 1|************
(03) 2|***
(04) 3|****
(10) 4|**********
(24) 5|************************
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Total 53 reviews
Mean 3.59 stars The distribution of ratings shows a polarized audience. Clearly, this book is very controversial, due to the unabashed criticism of US foreign policy. Thus, such division among reviewers is to be expected. Look to the center! For a more objective review, check out Ted Rushton's review that totes a 3 star rating. (Click "view all reviews" towards the end of the first page of reviews. Then select from the drop down menu "3-star ratings only." Go!) It is difficult for many to accept that his assertions are even plausible. However, careful review of his facts reveals that his arguements are well founded. His work is quite impressive. Read some Chomsky. Then think about his ideas as you watch the news, keeping in mind the limitations of the media (check out the Censored series by Project Censored). Rethink Afghanistan. Rethink Iraq. Rethink Haiti. Oh, and if Chomsky isn't enough for you, check out Cardoso & Faletto's Development and Dependency in Latin America (originally in Spanish) for a taste of dependencia theory. That will get your juices flowing.
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