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Rogue States

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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.

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.

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.

Chomsky is fabulous at pointing out stinging ironies in the American political landscape, not to mention the media landscape. Those are indeed his two main topics, and he makes you think about these things as you watch your local or national news, (which gets harder to do after reading Chomsky). For instance, if you watch CNN right now, you'll be watching a lengthy report and analysis on a woman from North Dakota who is missing and believed to have been kidnapped and furthermore believed to be dead. The images of this young woman splash across the screen, then there's a shot of the suspect, then a shot of a hundred people scouring a field looking for clues, then a shot of the local sheriff hugging the woman's dad, and finally another image of the woman followed by a picture of the parking lot where it is supposed she was kidnapped. It's a tragic story to be sure, and many people must find it interesting, but not by any definition can this be news. All of the cable news companies are doing this, and while it is simply a device to boost ratings and appeal to the lowest interests of the masses, it also creates a massive distraction from the huge tragedies and ironies in the world.

For those of us living inside the big, neon capitalist bubble that is America, it is often shocking to hear details about US policy abroad abroad. Saddam Hussein is a bad man, granted, 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. Moreover, not too many Americans know that the US and the UK are now engaged in deadly biological warfare in Iraq: "The destruction of infrastructure and banning of imports to repair it has cased disease, malnutrition, and early deaeth on a huge scale, including more than 500,000 children, according to UNICEF investigators - an average of 5,000 children dying each moth.... The US and Britain have taken the lead in blocking aid programs - 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 Iraqi people are dying and Saddam Hussein remains in pwer, the US continues to purchase Iraqi oil - only now its pennies on the dollar as dictated by the "Oil for Food" program. Of course, 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 doesn't just limit his analysis to Iraq. In this book, he provides a global survey of all the so-called Rogue States: The Balkans, East Timor, Colombia, Cuba and Latiin America in general. Chomsky also throws in commentary on European colonial history, imperialism, the rise corporate capitalism, and critiques 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 intro to Chomsky's views, this is a good place to start. Perhaps Chomsky's most readable critique of the "Washington Concensus." At times repetetive, but then Chomsky is getting old. A good read.

In Rogue States Nom Chomsky is a harsh critic and has highlighted the discrepancies in the United States foreign policy. His definition of rogue states has two uses: a propagandistic, which applies to assorted enemies and a literal use that applies to states that do not regard themselves bound by international norms. In the post WWII era these norms were defined and developed by the United Nations charter, by International Court of Justice decisions and by various conventions and treatise signed by states. After the end of cold war the U.S being the sole super power, international law today is less regarded by the U.S than at any other time. This was especially highlighted by the Clinton administration when Madam Albright informed the U.N that the U.S will act Multilaterally when possible and Unilaterally when necessary. In foreign Affairs journal, Samuel Huntington warns that Washington is treading a dangerous course in the eyes of most of the world he suggests, the U.S is becoming the rogue super power and considered the single greatest threat to their societies. In the same essay he predicts that coalitions may arise to counter the balance of the super power.

Chomsky states that on one hand the U.S took stern action against the deplorable invasion of Kuwait by Iraq but stayed silent when Indonesia (its ally) under dictator Suharto annexed East Timor. In this Indonesian invasion within a few years tens of thousands of people died. The U.S also armed Turkey a NATO ally but didnt question their repression on the Kurdish minority. After the Gulf War Washington publicly supported a revolution from within to overthrow Saddam Hussein but their actions were contrary to their speech. In March 1991 immediately after the war, the state department refused to have any dealing with the Iraqi democratic opposition and they were denied access to media. While Saddam was decimating the southern opposition, the U.S army aware of this action refused to permit rebelling military officers access to captured Iraqi arms. Ahmed Chalabi the London based head of the Iraqi National Congress said The United States, covered by the fig leaf of non-interference in Iraqi affairs, s waiting for Saddam to butcher the insurgents in the hope that he can be overthrown later by a suitable officer.

On March 2, 1998 Foreign Minister prince Saud re-iterated that  the greatest de-stabilizing element in the Middle East and the cause of all the problems in the region is Israels policy towards the Palestinians and the U.S support for it, which might activate popular forces that the Saudi Arabia greatly fears, as this will undermine its legitimacy as guardian of Islamic holy places including Dome of the Rock in East Jerusalem. While a fair treatment to the Palestinians were denied the U.S fought hard so that Afghanistan is liberated from Russian occupation; the U.S also supported the independence of the Central Asian states from Russia.

This has to be one of the best books about recent events that I have ever read. Through a series of case studies spanning the entire globe, Chomsky paints a picture of the way things stand. It is clear from this book that large corporations and Bill Gates-ian "rich folk" rule the world. Under the guise of democracy and freedom, the United States government is the single most destructive and evil force in all of history. I don't call it evil due to some mental problem on my part. The evil stems from hypocritical policies of the government. Quell the masses with lofty speeches about democracy, while at the same time destroying the democratic movements around the world. I became politically aware around the time of the Waco fiasco. At the same time as that event Russia was crushing a rebellion, in I think, Chechnya. The reports were contemporary. I realized that the United States was just as intolerant of "rebellion" and "revolution" as Russia. I get sick to my stomach when I try to rationalize the actions of the US in terms of freedom and human rights. I accept some of the cultural guilt, but I point out to anyone willing to listen that I am American by birth, not by choice. Perhaps I am an unrealistic idealist, but what Chomsky writes gets me thinking. I commit myself from this point forward to do abosultely anything necessary to help bring down an entity that ruins millions of people's lives through its policies. Isn't the American myth built on fighting tyranny and abuse? One thing that rang clear while reading this book: if you are brave enough to challenge the system, be prepared to be invaded, possibly killed, certainly discredited, and definitely abused. Watch your back, take responsibility for your own actions, and do something nice for someone that has had his/her country demolished by the American imperial machine.

Next to Edward Said, Noam Chomsky is without doubt the most intelligent and proficient writer in the world. It goes without saying that his writing is honest and revealing. In this book, Chomsky unveils that the state that constantly violates international laws is the United States. U.S.A. simply ignores the regulations of the international community by interferring with various world conflicts. Chomsky states that the United States gives its support to oppressive countries in order to create an imbalance in the world. This is evident in the fact that the United States supports Israel even though it is widely acknowledged that Isreal is an oppressor in the Palestinian conflict. It is indisputable that Israel is superior to Palestinians in every aspect, let alone when it comes to arms. Most people have seen on TV that the Palestinians fight for their freedom by throwing stones while Israel's army uses sophisticated weapons in order to annihilate as many Palestinians as possible. This is extremely unjust but the United States largely ignores these facts. Moreover, Chomsky claims in his book that even though the UN imposes certain restrictions on the use of force to put an end to international conflicts, the United States blatantly ignores these rules and acts on its own. Most people are unaware of the fact that the United States has been accused of state terrorism by the Haag tribunal. It is clear that the United States frequently abuses its immense power and imposes its values on other countries. I highly recommend this book to intelligent people who dare question the imposed truths that are presented in the western medias.

Rogue States tells the story of how the US has systematicaly manipulated world events to further the interests of the super-rich ruling elite within american society, at massive economic and human cost.

From the US's support for Indonesia as it was slaughtering its own people, to the deliberate creation of unpayable third world debt, no stone is left unturned. Every American should read this book, to remind them just what their government does in their name, and every European too, to remind them just who they have got into bed with...

An eye opening and extremely well written work.

Noam Chomsky's political analysis is fine tuned, to the point and
scary as hell. The U.S.A.is the beast of the apocalypse. I can't recall another writer who tells things so truthfully. Freedom of speech in this country is quite limited in scope and big business, reactionary government and powerful military rule. Abuse of power is constant, Chomsky reminds us. Human
rights violations occur every day in great numbers around the
world. Our nation controls much of the world. The instruments of torture of the powerless and degradation of the planet are,
in large degree, under our hegemony. These are just a few of the terrors Chomsky reveals to us about our fascist policies. Why is Chomsky not on the best seller list? Why isn't he published by a large company? Because the power brokers don't want to have anything to do with him. The less books sold the better from their point of view. I say this is a man that the people need to hear from. You will certain get a different opinion about that
rough-rider, Theodore Roosevelt. Low marks for Bill Clinton as
well from the author.