Pirates and Emperors, Old and New : International Terrorism in the Real World

Rating:
Summary: Free press; controlled minds
Review: Chomsky starts with the premise that the United States has fewer restrictions on its press than any other contry in the world. At the same time, it has the most effective system in the world for restricting what its citizens think.

Focusing on the Israel-Palestine dispute (but with forays as far abroad as Hiroshima, Guatemala, Afghanistan, and--most relevantly for today--Iraq), Chomsky proves over and over again that the US version of terrorism is completely one sided. After all, he argues, it is the US that has killed more civilians in more attempts to influence enemies through terror than any other country.

Chomsky gives short shrift to those who argue endlessly over the legal meaning of various UN Resolutions to determine what the legalities are of various conflicts. Applying his philosophical theories to politics, Chomsky says that words mean exactly what those with the power to act say they mean, nothing more and nothing less.

Chomsky's bottom line is that if the US really wants to combat terrorism, the first thing we ought to do is stop practicing it, and stop supporting others who do so.

Chomsky certainly has a point of view that one hears all too infrequently in this country. My main criticism is that the book repeats the same examples several times in different chapters to make the same point. This results from the fact that the book is actually a loosely connected series of essays and talks, not originally wirtten at the same time, let alone with a book in mind.

Rating:
Summary: Free press; controlled minds
Review: Chomsky starts with the premise that the United States has fewer restrictions on its press than any other contry in the world. At the same time, it has the most effective system in the world for restricting what its citizens think.

Focusing on the Israel-Palestine dispute (but with forays as far abroad as Hiroshima, Guatemala, Afghanistan, and--most relevantly for today--Iraq), Chomsky proves over and over again that the US version of terrorism is completely one sided. After all, he argues, it is the US that has killed more civilians in more attempts to influence enemies through terror than any other country.

Chomsky gives short shrift to those who argue endlessly over the legal meaning of various UN Resolutions to determine what the legalities are of various conflicts. Applying his philosophical theories to politics, Chomsky says that words mean exactly what those with the power to act say they mean, nothing more and nothing less.

Chomsky's bottom line is that if the US really wants to combat terrorism, the first thing we ought to do is stop practicing it, and stop supporting others who do so.

Chomsky certainly has a point of view that one hears all too infrequently in this country. My main criticism is that the book repeats the same examples several times in different chapters to make the same point. This results from the fact that the book is actually a loosely connected series of essays and talks, not originally wirtten at the same time, let alone with a book in mind.

Rating:
Summary: A sewer of a book
Review: If has been said (by the late Australian political scientist Frank Knopfelmacher) that as one swallow doesn't make a summer, so one Noam Chomsky doesn't make a sewer. After reading this I'm nor so sure. A warped, twisted rant against the institutions of a free society, against America's brave role in protecting the Jews of Israel from a second, terminal, holocaust, and in general against civilization. Sad and bizarre. I would recommend the works of Danial Pipes, Samuel Hungtington or almost anyone else in preference.

Rating:
Summary: A critical analysis of America's role in the Middle East
Review: Now in a newly updated edition, Pirates And Emperors, Old And New: International Terrorism In The Real World by Noam Chomsky (an internationally acclaimed philosopher, scholar, and political activist). Chomsky's critical analysis of America's role in the Middle East and how the media tends to manipulate the beliefs of the public is presented with the addition of new chapters focusing upon the second Palestinian Intifada which began in October 2000, as well as the harsh impact that September 11 has had on the formation and conduct of American foreign policy. Pirates And Emperors, Old And New is a very highly recommended and timely addition to Contemporary International Studies reading lists and reference collections.