Acts of Aggression: Policing Rogue States (Open Media Series) [Paperback]

Noam Chomsky (Author), Edward W. Said (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Open Media Series | Publication Date: February 9, 1999

In Acts of Aggression three distinguished activist scholars examine the background and ramifications of the U.S. conflict with Iraq. Through three separate essays, the pamphlet provides an in-depth analysis of U.S./Arab relations, the contradictions and consequences of U.S. foreign policy toward "rogue states," and how hostile American actions abroad conflict with UN resolutions and international law.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What constitutes the behavior that gets a nation labeled a "rogue state"? If, Noam Chomsky suggests, we consider a state to be acting in an "outlaw" fashion when it refuses to heed the articles and resolutions of the United Nations, then the United States is as much a "rogue state" as Saddam Hussein's Iraq--if not more. Chomsky presents a brief outline of America's attempts--once the cold war was over--to reconstruct Iraq as an enemy after years of turning a blind eye to Saddam's activities and even supplying him with aid. He also considers how the broader "war" on terrorism fits into this post-cold-war strategy. Noted commentator on Middle Eastern affairs Edward Said supplements Chomsky's argument with a consideration of the severity of U.S. sanctions against Iraq and what he views as a growing disregard for the interests of other Arab nations in the region. And Ramsey Clark offers a brief coda on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Chomsky himself delivers a more elaborate consideration of this theme in another book in the Open Media series, The Umbrella of U.S. Power. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

NOAM CHOMSKY is a professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chomsky has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs and U.S. foreign policy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; Third Printing edition (February 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583225463
• ISBN-13: 978-1583225462
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Middle East > Iraq
  • #80 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > United States > 20th Century

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What after Chomsky?, March 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Acts of Aggression (Paperback)

After listening to Chomsky lecture 'in the flesh', free of editors and media butchers, I came to appreciate his expansive mind, his love of humanity and, surprisingly, his guarded optimism regarding human possibility even in the face of institutional monstrosities. For some reason, many Americans have come to believe that there is something inherently 'negative' or 'bad' in critical interpretation. Chomsky goes to the heart of this matter, and though he likes to minimize his linguistic soul, it is by his natural ability to sift through mediated language that he is able to render, clear as day, something that, finally, approximates some truth about the world we have created, the forces that are continually struggling for control and the casualties of the commodification of 'the individual' in a world proliferated by free market gobblygook. My only worry is, what after Chomsky? So far, many have tried to 'follow', but I have yet to encounter anyone who is brave enough to use their positions to speak the truth, as Chomsky has. After reading this work in particular, one is reminded that there are only two types of people in the 'first world', those who are activists and those who are complicit. Only a monster can sit idly by while the horror of U.S. policy (funded with public monies) is allowed to be 'disappeared' by our media, as the plight of the E. Timorese was for so many years. How many times are we going to let this record replay? Is access to cheap petro-chemical resin garden chairs really worth half a million children's lives?

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Response to Toronto, Canada, December 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Acts of Aggression (Paperback)

This is just a comment on the writer from Toronto, CA about his feelings of the acceptance of Chomsky's ideas and theories in the intellectual community and also a comment on Chomsky's literature in general.

I have found that Chomsky's ideas are very real, but there are many critics and authors who refuse to accept Chomsky's views because, well, his readings go directly against all literature of the established political scientists and contradict the content of the literature. I think that Chomsky has a lot to offer, but it is important and interesting to consider who disagrees with Chomsky or refuses to cite his works. Chomsky is the most widely cited living author, making him "the most important intellectual alive". His writings are eye-opening and frank, easy to read. This and anything by Odonian Press are great for starters (What Uncle Sam Really Wants, on the subject of U.S. Foreign Policy, for example) Happy reading!

50 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Acts of Aggression (Paperback)

I am writing in response to the first review here. I just want to say that every intellectual person in the world takes Professor Chomsky seriously. I live in Canada and I remember that in each of his lectures in Toronto there was enormous attendance to listen to him. He is the conscience of the West. He is a person who did not sell himself to the corporations. You can read this book and learn a lot about U.S. foreign policy and its impacts in the lives of people around the world and especially Middle East. After reading this book without any bias you can demand that US foreign policy makers and their suppurates should be charged for crimes against humanity.