Rogue States: The Rule of Force in World Affairs [Paperback]

Noam Chomsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0896086119 | ISBN-13: 978-0896086111 | Edition: Second Printing

Contents

Rogues' Gallery: Who Qualifies?
Rogue States
Crisis in the Balkans
East Timor Retrospective
"Plan Colombia"
Cuba and the US Government: David vs. Goliath
Putting on the Pressure: Latin America
Jubilee 2000
"Recovering Rights": A Crooked Path
The United States and the "Challenge of Universality"
The Legacy of War
Millennium Greetings
Power in the Domestic Arena
Socioeconomic Sovereignty
Notes
Index

An Excerpt from Rogue States by Noam Chomsky

The concept of "rogue state" plays a pre-eminent role today in policy planning and analysis.

The current Iraq crisis is only the latest example. Washington and London declared Iraq a "rogue state," a threat to its neighbors and to the entire world, an "outlaw nation" led by a reincarnation of Hitler who must be contained by the guardians of world order, the United States and its British "junior partner," to adopt the term ruefully employed by the British foreign office half a century ago. The concept merits a close look.

[...]

A secret 1995 study of the Strategic Command, which is responsible for the strategic nuclear arsenal, outlines the basic thinking. Released through the Freedom of Information Act, the study, Essentials of Post-Cold War Deterrence, "shows how the United States shifted its deterrent strategy from the defunct Soviet Union to so-called rogue states such as Iraq, Libya, Cuba and North Korea," AP reports. The study advocates that the US exploit its nuclear arsenal to portray itself as "irrational and vindictive if its vital interests are attacked." That "should be a part of the national persona we project to all adversaries," in particular the "rogue states." "It hurts to portray ourselves as too fully rational and cool-headed," let alone committed to such silliness as international law and treaty obligations. "The fact that some elements" of the US government "may appear to be potentially 'out of control' can be beneficial to creating and reinforcing fears and doubts within the minds of an adversary's decision makers." The report resurrects Nixon's "madman theory": our enemies should recognize that we are crazed and unpredictable, with extraordin

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Chomsky] holds a mirror up to the United States, [showing] it in a very different light than the United States' official rhetoric." -- Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs

About the Author

Noam Chomsky is a world renowned linguist and one of America's foremost social critics. He is Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT and the author of numerous books for Pluto Press, including Fateful Triangle, The New Military Humanism, Power and Terror and A New Generation Draws the Line. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: South End Press; Second Printing edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896086119
• ISBN-13: 978-0896086111
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston. A member of the American Academy of Science, he has published widely in both linguistics and current affairs. His books include At War with Asia, Towards a New Cold War, Fateful Triangle: The U. S., Israel and the Palestinians, Necessary Illusions, Hegemony or Survival, Deterring Democracy, Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy and Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile reading, but perhaps not the best place to start September 1, 2002

By John

Format:Paperback

Rogue States is a collection of essays and lectures by Noam Chomsky about U.S. foreign policy at the end of the 20th century (pre-9/11). Some essays are devoted to U.S. policy toward specific countries (e.g. Yugoslavia, Indonesia and East Timor, Colombia, and Cuba), while others cover more general themes. Chomsky paints a devastating and well-documented portrait of the lack of respect displayed by the U.S. government for international law and human rights, one that contrasts sharply with self-congratulatory government rhetoric. Anyone who believes that the U.S. has a consistent record of defending human rights, democracy, and freedom around the world needs to become familiar with the ideas discussed in this book. The truth is starkly different.

To those familiar with Chomsky's writing, this book is worthwhile reading. Although Chomsky can't resist extended discussions of his favorite historical examples, such as the U.S. war against Vietnam, much of the book focuses on the foreign policy events of the Clinton administration. It illustrates that U.S. behavior has not changed significantly now that the excuse of the Cold War is gone; the U.S. continues for various reasons to support undemocratic regimes that violate basic human rights.

I would not recommend this book to someone unfamiliar with Chomsky's work. Although it would certainly be an eye-opener to people who are naïve about U.S. behavior, it assumes a degree of familiarity not only with the examples that Chomsky discusses but also with his general outlook on the world. Some people might not believe what they are reading, because it is so hard to reconcile with the way U.S. behavior is usually portrayed. The book has several weaknesses as well. Chomsky repeats certain quotations and examples in different essays, each time as if they were new, probably because the essays were not originally intended to be published together. Chomsky also tends to wander off topic within essays, bringing up whatever thoughts come to his mind at the time. Ultimately, the book comes off as being poorly organized. Anyone reading this book should not expect Chomsky to sum up his ideas or provide any sort of conclusion at the end. It is a collection of semi-related essays and nothing more. The last Chomsky book I read, Manufacturing Consent, was much more unified and might be a better place to start, even though its examples are more dated than those in Rogue States.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bursting the Bubble July 17, 2002

By J.W.K

Format:Paperback

For those of us living inside the big, neon capitalist bubble that is America, it can be shocking to hear details about US policy abroad. For example, we all know that Saddam Hussein is a bad man, but most Americans are completely unaware that the US armed him in the 1980s, thereby giving him the firepower he needed to massacre tens of thousands of Iraqi Kurds. When Americans are exposed to details like this it tends to produce a kind of cognitive dissonance, because this fact runs counter to everything we see on TV or read in newspapers.

Moreover, not too many Americans know that the US and the UK are now engaged in deadly biological warfare against Iraq's citizenry: "The destruction of infrastructure and banning of imports to repair it has caused disease, malnutrition, and early death on a huge scale, including more than 500,000 children..." That is an average of 5,000 children dying each moth - a figure that blows the 9-11 tragedy out of the water (if one were so humane as to compare dead Iraqis with dead Americans).

The US and Britain have taken the lead in blocking aid programs to Iraq under these UN-approved sanctions. For example, delaying approval for ambulances on the grounds that they could be used to transport troops, and barring insecticides for preventing the spread of disease and spare parts for sanitation systems. All the while, as innocent Iraqis (that is to say, women and children citizens) die and Saddam Hussein remains in power, the U.S. continues to purchase Iraqi oil - which under the "Oil for Food" program is now pennies on the dollar. A classic example of beat up the little guy and take the lunch money, US foreign policy is not as noble as our leaders would have us believe. Of course, thinking about this fact while filling up the SUV will only lead to more of that cognitive dissonance stuff.

The story is much more detailed than this, and Chomsky's book helps flesh out some of these details that never seem to end up in mainstream media sources. But Chomsky does not limit his analysis to Iraq. In this book, he provides a global survey of the entire Rogue's Gallery - covering the Balkans, East Timor, Colombia, Cuba and Latin America. In the last few chapters, Chomsky also lends commentary and critique to European colonial history, imperialism, the rise of corporate capitalism, and the modern global economy.

This is compact and potent Chomsky, a factual wrap sheet placed within the historical context of empire and conquest. If you are looking for a quick survey of Chomsky's views, there is no better place to start. Perhaps Chomsky's most readable critique of the "Washington Consensus" to date.

51 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hoisted by their own petard June 2, 2001

By Scorpio69

Format:Paperback

You can't argue with Chomsky because he simply speaks the truth -- backed up by voluminous footnotes. The USA and its allies, under the guise of spreading freedom and democracy and saving the world from communism (or whatever the latest boogeyman is according to the corporate-controlled media), rule the world with an iron fist that would make ancient Rome look tame by comparison. Chomsky is scathing, succinct and devastating in his analysis of our actions in manipulating world affairs and complicity in the deaths of literally millions of innocent people. We stand behind the U.N. and international law when it suits us and shove it aside when it impedes us -- and by "us", I mean the global corporate interests that control our government. I am sick at heart.