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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful,
By
This review is from: On Power and Ideology: The Managua Lectures (Paperback)
The book is compiled from a series of lectures given in Managua, Nicaragua. In his remarks, the author moves easily and almost flawlessly from one bloc of political facts to another, from one time period to another, with real independence of mind. The overriding theme here - and never far away in Chomsky's topical works - is American ideology, its reality and debunking. In this case, the focus is on the bloody recent history of Central America and Washington's role in it. The amazing point with such efforts is how close to the surface truth actually lies and how easily official myths can be exposed. Yet - also - how habitual it is for our intelligentsia to ignore these political unpleasantries, such as CIA sponsored slaughter in Central America. Thus "On Power and Ideology" need not exercise complex reasoning nor obscure research to validate its main point; Chomsky needs only to cite historical records to make his case. Though he never states this thesis explcitly, his case studies such as Latin America revolve around it. That main point being: that behind all Washington's official praise for human rights lies one non-democratic "right" that determines all the rest and guides our policy makers, namely the "right" of American investment to go where it wants and do what it wants. (Considering the devastating effect NAFTA, the WTO, and other trade agreements have had on working America and the environment, this is a revealing point to make.) Other rights can be seen as secondary and of instrumental value only to this one overriding imperial drive. This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Be prepared to learn about our hidden history.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By "maseo" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: On Power and Ideology: The Managua Lectures (Paperback)
This book is a composition of five lectures that took place at the Univeridad Centroamericana located in Central American country of Managua. Originally published sometime during the late eighties, is an essential asset towards understanding the history of the U.S. and why it had the dominant position in the "previous world order". The author Noam Chomsky is a professor of linguistics at the prestigious MIT. He is one of the best known critics of U.S. foreign policy. What makes this book so enlightening is his research material, which includes declassified internal White House documents. With this, he has provided the world with a shocking revelation of reasons as to why so many (seemingly troublesome and anarchic) historical events occurred, and also, why these things are still so today. This book will enlighten you on the inherently duplicitous nature of our government's practice of power. What may be hard to swallow for most are the mechanisms (which are nothing more than our conventional institutions) by which Americans are manipulated. Not to mention the practice of the redefinition of words and terms such as "communism" and "defense of democracy" that are designed to push our patriotic buttons, thus enabling our government to carryout overt actions that have dark covert intentions. This book is a MUST read
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful,
By
This review is from: On Power and Ideology: The Managua Lectures (Paperback)
The book is compiled from a series of lectures given in Managua, Nicaragua. In his remarks, the author moves easily and almost flawlessly from one bloc of political facts to another, from one time period to another, with real independence of mind. The overriding theme here - and never far away in Chomsky's topical works - is American ideology, its reality and debunking. In this case, the focus is on the bloody recent history of Central America and Washington's role in it. The amazing point with such efforts is how close to the surface truth actually lies and how easily official myths can be exposed. Yet - also - how habitual it is for our intelligentsia to ignore these political unpleasantries, such as CIA sponsored slaughter in Central America. Thus "On Power and Ideology" need not exercise complex reasoning nor obscure research to validate its main point; Chomsky needs only to cite historical records to make his case. Though he never states this thesis explcitly, his case studies such as Latin America, revolve around it. That main point being: that behind all Washington's official praise for human rights lies one non-democratic "right" that determines all the rest and guides our policy makers, namely the "right" of American investment to go where it wants and do what it wants. (Considering the devastating effect NAFTA, the WTO, and other trade agreements have had on working America and the environment, this is a revealing point to make.) Other rights can be seen as secondary and of instrumental value only to this one overriding imperial drive. This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Be prepared to learn about our hidden history.
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