Power and Terror: Post-9-11 Talks and Interviews

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Power and Terror: Post-9-11 Talks and Interviews

by Noam Chomsky, John Junkerman (Editor), Takei Masakazu (Editor)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 352 ratings · 27 reviews

In this, his first new book since the international bestseller "9-11," Noam Chomsky presents his latest thinking on terrorism and U.S. foreign policy, focusing on alternatives to the current course of armed provocation.

Noam Chomsky is the author of, among many other books, "Profit over People," and the international anti-war bestseller "9-11," which has sold over 300,000 c...more

Paperback, 160 pages

Published February 4th 2003 by Seven Stories Press (first published 2003)

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Nov 13, 2012 Karlo Mikhail Mongaya rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: mediocre

Chomsky still chocks up the now typical indignation against the 9-11 terror attacks, the social injustices that had a hand in fueling the attacks, and the U.S. state's own terrorist response as exemplified by the U.S. "War on Terror." Chomsky also unveiled the myriad ways in which the corporate media supported the U.S. war of aggression against Afghanistan by propagating baseless details that justify the American imperialist project.

However, I cannot help but frown at some of the outlandish noti...more Chomsky still chocks up the now typical indignation against the 9-11 terror attacks, the social injustices that had a hand in fueling the attacks, and the U.S. state's own terrorist response as exemplified by the U.S. "War on Terror." Chomsky also unveiled the myriad ways in which the corporate media supported the U.S. war of aggression against Afghanistan by propagating baseless details that justify the American imperialist project.

However, I cannot help but frown at some of the outlandish notions proposed by Chomsky. For instance, Chomsky makes it a point to emphasize that the new thing about 9-11 is its being the first time U.S. territory was actually hit by a foreign attack since 1812. He clarifies that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor did not count because it's not part of the American mainland and it is technically a U.S. colony, so analogies to it miss the point. But Chomsky stretches things when he asserts that 9-11 is also the first time that the colonized of the world had the guns directed the other way. He reminds us, and rightly so, of the long list of U.S. and European imperialist crimes but concludes that with 9-11, their foreign victims are attacking them for first time: "the guns are now aimed in a different direction, something quite new in the history of Europe and its offshoots."

The guns have been aimed at the U.S. and European imperialists way before 9-11. All history, after all, has been a history of the struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed. With the emergence of imperialism as the monopoly stage of capitalism at the turn of the 20th Century, the oppressed peoples of the world have fought several wars of national liberation to throw off the yolk of colonialism and neocolonialism. How does Chomsky categorize the victorious revolutions in China and Vietnam, among many others, if not a case of guns being aimed at a different direction? After all, as Mao once said, "political power comes out of the barrel of the gun," and several social movements from past to present have not been shy at taking up arms as a way of resisting imperialist aggressors and their local puppet rulers.

Things get even more bizarre when Chomsky claims that "what happened in September 11 has virtually nothing to do with economic globalization." It is a strange assertion for a self-professed radical to claim because globalization, another word of the economic division of the entire world by gigantic monopolies based in the advanced capitalist powers like those in North America, Europe, and Japan, goes side by side with the territorial division of the world by these powers. It is precisely this dynamic that generates war and armed conflict, including state terror and asymmetric warfare, and the 9-11 attack can surely be situated in this context.(less)

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Feb 19, 2011 Elliot rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

I was in 3rd grade on September 11, 2001, and I recall my confusion about what the Twin Towers even were during my ride to school (the atrocity happened around 45 minutes before school started), then the moment of silent prayer the principal led over the PA, then my frustration the next day when news programming replaced the morning episode of Pokemon. Later, I remember my friend telling me how much he hated Osama Bin Laden during Sunday school. It probably wasn't until I entered high school tha...more I was in 3rd grade on September 11, 2001, and I recall my confusion about what the Twin Towers even were during my ride to school (the atrocity happened around 45 minutes before school started), then the moment of silent prayer the principal led over the PA, then my frustration the next day when news programming replaced the morning episode of Pokemon. Later, I remember my friend telling me how much he hated Osama Bin Laden during Sunday school. It probably wasn't until I entered high school that I fully began to understand the tremendous significance of the day -- in terms of its impact on the mind of our nation, I stil have yet to wrap my mind around it.

Young enough to have had the mythologized date as my primary reference point, I find Chomsky's understanding of 9/11 to be frightening and tremendously discomforting. That is, of course, because it's terribly correct.

In this collection of lectures and interviews, Chomsky justifies (with dozens of different arguments) his claim that 9/11 is most significant not because of its inherent evil or because of the large death toll, but because it marked the end of America's near-monopoly on terrorism and violence over the past 50 years. The event was horrible, but it pales in comparison to the destruction that the United States has carried out or sponsored -- the difference is that, in this case, we were the victims, not the perpetrators. Using case studies in Nicaragua, Israel, South Africa, Vietnam, East Timor, etc. he explores the ways that U.S-sponsored violence is discussed as “counterterrorism”, and the extent to which America has stopped the United Nations from declaring so. Chomsky seems to have read every single government report, every single news article published, every single study printed, and to have remembered it all – and he explains his arguments with tremendous evidence, skilled logic, and a calm, intelligent voice void of demagoguery.

Of note in this collection is his response to a question of whether he oversimplified matters by characterizing America as an evil empire. Chomsky has never claimed that America is an evil empire – in fact, he says that most of its crimes are crimes that could have been committed by any most-powerful nation. He also argues – and here is where I find myself most in love with him – that the majority of deaths under America’s swords and the swords of our puppets stem not from evil or ill-intent, but rather from our sheer lack of empathy or even our ignorance.

Tying in with this claim is an analysis of capitalism’s death toll. He references a Nobel prize-winning economist who argued that famine in China should rightfully be considered a death as a result of ideology. He agrees – it was because of China’s communist policies that famine occurred. But he points out that the second part of the monograph is largely ignored – the half which uses an example of infant mortality in India to explain death as a result of capitalist ideology which FAR outweighs that of Communist China. In both cases, the communists and the capitalists did not intend for famine or infant mortality, but they pursued policies that ultimately encouraged it.

It’s amazing that Chomsky’s views on politics, which he has been articulating since the 70s, have proven to be so unfortunately correct. The facts in some of his arguments are a bit antiquated – most of the lectures were given in 2002 – but his overarching theories remain intact to this day (not to mention the fact that they were applicable long before 9/11). A new edition of this book will be published in a few months, and I look forward to reading it. Of course, with the monumental upheavals in the Middle East happening right now, I’m sure that there will need to be yet another edition again!(less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Josepha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: united-states

A typical Chomsky book that compares non-state terrorism (Al Qaida) with state terrorism (coups in Guatamala, war in Vietnam). Although Chomsky always seems to be generally caring about the suffering of all peoples his refusal, more than 21 years after the Islamic revolution in Iran, to acknowledge the repression, torture, murder, unlawful trials, unjust imprisonment and rape in Iran under the ayatollah and the mullahs shows he picks his dictatorships as he pleases. I guess one peoples suffering...more

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Jun 03, 2008 Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, war, favorites

"If you want to end terrorism, stop participating in it". That is the central message of Power and Terror, a set of talks and interviews given by Noam Chomsky following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

2700 civilians killed; a terrible crime, indefensible. This we can all agree on. 2700 - approximately the number of civilians killed by the US military in a typical week during the Viet Nam war. Or the number of Kurd civilians killed in a week by the Turkish government with the blessing...more "If you want to end terrorism, stop participating in it". That is the central message of Power and Terror, a set of talks and interviews given by Noam Chomsky following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

2700 civilians killed; a terrible crime, indefensible. This we can all agree on. 2700 - approximately the number of civilians killed by the US military in a typical week during the Viet Nam war. Or the number of Kurd civilians killed in a week by the Turkish government with the blessing and support of the Clinton administration. Or the number of civilians killed in a typical week in East Timor with the blessing and support of the Eisenhower administration, and again by the Clinton administration. Or the number of civilians killed in a couple of weeks by the CIA in Nicaragua when it attacked the democratic government there in the 1980s, with Reagan's support and blessing. Or the number of Kurds killed by Saddam Hussein with the support and blessing of the Bush I administration.

A pattern emerges: it's only terrorism if it is done by oppressed people, and only if it is done to privileged people. If it is done by us, or by Israel, or by South Africa (until 1990), or by one of our puppet states (Iraq before the attack on Kuwait, Indonesia, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala), then it is not terrorism. It is counter-terrorism, or it is proactive response to terrorism, or it is legitimate security concerns. If a bus is blown up by a Palestinian and 10 Israelis are killed, that is news, for days and weeks - and rightly so. If a village is destroyed by Israeli tanks and 50 Palestinians are killed, that is not news. It is not even reported in the US press, as often as not.

Chomsky reserves special scorn for western liberal intellectuals. In his view they simply promulgate the colonialist/neo-imperialist line, and are unable or unwilling to take a moral stance when evaluating the causes and effects of organized violence. He points out case after case of state terrorism, conducted by Israel, by the United States, or by a US puppet government, that are not reported in the mainstream media at all, or if reported is never reported as the terrorism that it is.

On a slightly different topic, Chomsky mentions a study that was done that found a near perfect correlation between US foreign aid and torture. US foreign aid is actually miniscule, compared to other wealthy countries. But such aid as there is goes predominantly to governments that torture their citizens. Chomsky notes that correlation does not imply causation, and in fact he believes that the US government is not especially interested in promoting torture (remember: this was written before the revelations of torture at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, extraordinary rendition and so on). He cites another more comprehensive study that sought to correlate US foreign aid with a wide variety of factors. That study found near perfect correlation between foreign aid and the ease of foreign 'investment' - i.e. the ease with which US and other international corporations can take over a country's natural resources. Chomsky's take on this is that in such countries repression is necessary because people naturally do not like to have their resources taken away by foreign corporations. So in those countries there is brutality against labor organizers, peasants, and so on.

You can like Chomsky, or not. But I would challenge you to contest his facts, and I would wonder what conclusions you would draw differently from those facts. (less)

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Feb 20, 2008 Ryan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, politics, philosophy-history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My summary:

This book follows up his "9-11" book with lots of later interviews and talks about the U.S. government's reaction to 9-11. Specifically, the approach of the war in Afghanistan and the general use of force to get back at the terrorists responsible for 9-11. Chomsky once again points out examples of why the U.S. continues to sponsor terrorist acts, but calls it "anti-terrorism" because it is done by the U.S. The idea of invading a nation to root out terrorists is described as a facade s...more My summary:

This book follows up his "9-11" book with lots of later interviews and talks about the U.S. government's reaction to 9-11. Specifically, the approach of the war in Afghanistan and the general use of force to get back at the terrorists responsible for 9-11. Chomsky once again points out examples of why the U.S. continues to sponsor terrorist acts, but calls it "anti-terrorism" because it is done by the U.S. The idea of invading a nation to root out terrorists is described as a facade since the people of the country are the ones that suffer, not the terrorist organizations themselves. He talks about how the U.S. acts unilaterally and ignores European opinions as well as the opinions of its own people. The driving force behind the current military actions is not finding the people responsible for the specific attack against the U.S., but rather to further increase our sphere of influence across the world. Through using the events of 9-11 the U.S. government can justify eliminating foreign governments that do not aid our military objectives. He goes into examples of how else our goal of controlling valuable resources has led to our sponsorship of Israel and the continuation of war in the Middle East. He specifically mentions how the U.S. has actually barred the peace process in order to maintain our influence in the Middle East. The same argument is made for Turkey, where the U.S. sponsors state terrorism because the government allows the U.S. military to use Turkish soil, airspace, etc. for its purposes. He also brings up the general rule of state terrorism and its relation to U.S. foreign aid. In other words, the more money the U.S. gives to any country, the more state terrorism occurs in that nation. Overall, Chomsky describe the U.S. as a great manipulator moving the "chess pieces" of the world through any means necessary. He also appeals to the educated classes to take notice of the ruthlessness of the U.S. government and to work towards a reduction in state terrorism in order to reduce the motivation of foreign terrorists against the U.S.(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Ismael Galvan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read Chomsky's "9-11" and found it very informative so it was only natural that I'd pick up the follow up. You don't have to read them in any particular order but I do see them as a set. It's interesting how people label Chomsky a radical when he follows every rule of making a rational argument. If you're concerned about the War on Terror and need some clarification, then you'll want to read this.

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Jul 12, 2010 Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars

I learned from reading this book that there are more atrocities that have been committed by the government/policy makers and executors of the United States of America than I realized before. Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Grenada, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq... I don't believe every word I read in a book just because it's a book, but I know from other sources facts about U.S. atrocities. It still surprises me to learn new bits.

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Nov 13, 2012 Raghav Bansal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Splendid work by Noam Chomsky:
9-11 incidence has revealed the real face of US and its atrocities over the rest of the world.According to Chomsky,THE US practice terrorism under the name of war against terrorism.And what is terrorist attack and who is terrorist depends upon who and where it took place.
If you want to you the real face of global terrorism must go for it

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Apr 29, 2013 C. Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chomsky has an amazing ability to see the big picture. Compared to others, the big picture he sees is like a remastered 72mm technicolor print of Lawrence of Arabia at a theater... and everybody else is midnight movies on a 12 inch black and white TV with no rabbit ears.

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Jul 23, 2011 Boycop rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting read for a non-political person like me who is not that familiar with political books.

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Jan 21, 2009 Freakball is currently reading it

were gonna free the fuck outta your country

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Dec 04, 2008 Shari added it

9-11 by Noam Chomsky (2001)

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Apr 29, 2013 Joz Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Typical Chomsky brilliance.

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Nov 10, 2012 Edwina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

FINISHED

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Apr 25, 2011 Rich rated it 3 of 5 stars

Old interviews and talks, circa 2002. Worth it for $3.

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Jan 27, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very enlightening and thought provoking, but not very even handed and left me wondering a bit at how much of Chomsky's statements should be taken at face value. For what it was though ( a short compilation of interviews and speeches ) I found it worth reading.

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Jul 03, 2007 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

A must for those wishing to familiarize themselves with Chomsky, though die-hards will probably find this work too breezy and light. Contains interview and speech excerpts from the socio-linguist cum political activist, especially as they pertain to the role rhetoric, language, and definition play in igniting terrorism/counter-terorism, and their collateral fires. Pieces are aptly selected, and, on the whole, the collection well-edited.

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May 18, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not bad, the man knows his stuff.

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Jan 12, 2012 Bluenoon rated it 4 of 5 stars

At least all is not lost! The world may have lost the late E. Said but there's Chomsky to tell it like it is.

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Oct 20, 2011 Alessandro Pellizzari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e, saggi

Poco da dire. Cambiano gli scenari e la situazione internazionale, ma non i comportamenti dei governi.
In questo libro Chomsky analizza cosa sia il terrorismo, e come lo si puó fermare (smettendo di commetterlo)

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Mar 29, 2007 Sondra rated it 3 of 5 stars

He goes on a bit here. I would have preferred a written analysis of the problem rather than interview excerpts. Mr. Chomsky discusses the roots of terror but fails to propose a solution.

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Sep 28, 2008 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

CHomsky is amazing, even if he is rather radical. He does found his arguments on convincing fact. I recommend it to many who are strong republicans and love Glenn Beck!

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Aug 23, 2007 Joshua rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: chomsky fans

post 9-11 chomsky is interesting. we live in a different world today, a state of fear for sure. if you like chomsky and current events then this is a good read.

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Aug 08, 2011 Gerry Czerak rated it 2 of 5 stars

A bit over the edge for me, but still worth our while to think about the possible abuse of power fy the US or any goverment.

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Jan 18, 2011 figura4 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: attualità

http://figura4.com/review/show/91-dop...

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Oct 22, 2012 Alfons rated it 3 of 5 stars

Its a perspective. Took me a while to put it into perspective :)

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May 23, 2013 Rania marked it as to-read

May 20, 2013 Jack added it

May 18, 2013 Frida rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 17, 2013 Jeremy added it

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About Noam Chomsky

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer. He is an Institute Professor and professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, considered to be one of the most significant contributions to the field of linguistics made in the 20th century. H...more

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