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Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy (American Empire Project) Hardcover – April 4, 2006

by Noam Chomsky (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 292 ratings
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The world's foremost critic of U.S. foreign policy exposes the hollow promises of democracy in American actions abroad--and at home

The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene against "failed states" around the globe. In this much anticipated sequel to his international bestseller Hegemony or Survival, Noam Chomsky turns the tables, charging the United States with being a "failed state," and thus a danger to its own people and the world.

"Failed states" Chomsky writes, are those "that do not protect their citizens from violence and perhaps even destruction, that regard themselves as beyond the reach of domestic or international law, and that suffer from a 'democratic deficit,' having democratic forms but with limited substance." Exploring recent U.S. foreign and domestic policies, Chomsky assesses Washington's escalation of the nuclear risk; the dangerous consequences of the occupation of Iraq; and America's self-exemption from international law. He also examines an American electoral system that frustrates genuine political alternatives, thus impeding any meaningful democracy.

Forceful, lucid, and meticulously documented, Failed States offers a comprehensive analysis of a global superpower that has long claimed the right to reshape other nations while its own democratic institutions are in severe crisis, and its policies and practices have recklessly placed the world on the brink of disaster. Systematically dismantling America's claim to being the world's arbiter of democracy, Failed States is Chomsky's most focused--and urgent--critique to date.
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  1. Part of series
    American Empire Project
  2. Print length
    314 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Metropolitan Books
  5. Publication date
    April 4, 2006
  6. Dimensions
    6.37 x 1.16 x 9.39 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780805079128
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0805079128
  9. See all details
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4.4 out of 5 stars
292 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book interesting and informative, providing eye-opening information about a mode of thinking they are unfamiliar with. However, some readers feel the book seems biased and lacks focus.

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ReadabilityInformation contentPower abuse
26 customers mention "Readability"22 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it interesting and fun, with well-written and thought-out content. The book provides useful quotes for readers to use in the future.

"...As usual the writing of the book is fantastically written and flows as well as a work of fiction...." Read more

"...In general though the book is interesting reading and thought provoking, and encourages the reader to seek out more information on a particular topic..." Read more

"...Weather you agree with him or not he is well worth reading. This book may make you mad, but it will also make you think." Read more

"...However I think this is an excellent book for any non-liberal to read as it provides insights into a mode of thinking to which I'm not..." Read more

22 customers mention "Information content"19 positive3 negative

Customers find the book informative and insightful. They say it provides an understanding of a different way of thinking. The book is well-researched with solid facts and logic. Readers appreciate the author's thorough citations of points.

"Noam Chomsky is a brilliant mind and he carefully lays the foundation of facts that explain why we find ourselves in the situation we are currently..." Read more

"...In general though the book is interesting reading and thought provoking, and encourages the reader to seek out more information on a particular topic..." Read more

"...The book's author, Noam Chomsky is a well known anarchist and public intellectual...." Read more

"...I give the author credit as he cites his points exhaustively, however the vast majority of his citations are quotes from political pun-dents that..." Read more

4 customers mention "Power abuse"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the book biased and lacking focus. They mention that it seems biased and incoherent.

"...In "FAILED STATES:THE ABUSE of POWER and the ASSUALT on DEMOCRACY",Chomsky hits a homerun!From the Indian Wars,to slavery,to social security,to..." Read more

"...Perhaps I need to read earlier books, but Failed States seems extremely biased, lacking focus, incoherent, and having a weak structure...." Read more

"FAILED STATES: THE ABUSE OF POWER AND THE ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY..." Read more

"Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read in today's environment.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Noam Chomsky is a brilliant mind and he carefully lays the foundation of facts that explain why we find ourselves in the situation we are currently in. It goes back to the Reagan policy days and comes forward. It explains so much of what actually was taking place behind many policies this country had in place and the often, less honorable, aspects of those policies. A step by step movement that leaves us with what we have today. Well written doesn't cover the brilliance of Chomsky's thinking and expression........an intelligent book for intelligent readers of history.
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  • J. D Morrow
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exploding Myths
    Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    On April 4th, the president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an "Easter gift" to the British people. He released the 15 sailors and marines that Iran held on charges of illegally entering Iranian waters. Obviously it was nothing more than a not so clever PR move as Ahmadinejad had gotten as much geopolitical traction from holding the sailors as he could. But, what interested me was the response by the American media. CNN had a large discussion about whether these sailors were held and treated according to the Geneva Convention. It seems in that half hour they covered the Geneva Convention more than when the United States violated the convention at Gitmo and Abu Ghraib.

    Enter the United States' resident dissenter, Noam Chomsky. In his work Failed States, Chomsky outlines the use of fear mongering the United States uses to excuse its geopolitical power plays. His thesis is pretty simple: The government and the media are not telling the true story. Both are using scare tactics to press up oil prices and continue American world hegemony. In fact, Chomsky goes as far to declare that the United States is moving toward a failed state as it is again and again ignores the consent of the governed to press geopolitical power politics.

    The United States ignores International Law as it sees fit. Hence the fit over whether Iran followed the Geneva Convention, but the US open declaration that it does not have to because our enemies are unlawful combatants. While the United States has a constitutional requirement to follow international law (Art. 1, sec 8), to Chomsky the government is found wanting in this regard.

    What moves Chomsky, as well, is the media's less than stellar record reporting to the American public. He lists a great number of polls that the media does not report. To report such polls "just wouldn't do." Most Americans support the Kyoto accords, believe the UN should have handled the post war Iraq and that the US should always follow international law.

    The fact that the US does not do these things and that the media does not report them, places the US in a position where it may become a failed state. True or not, the myths of American intervention and political process that Chomsky challenges makes one think. As usual the writing of the book is fantastically written and flows as well as a work of fiction. I would not put this on the must read list, but way up on the second tier of your reading list.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Dr. Lee D. Carlson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Encourages a successful state (of mind)
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    The obtaining of information is not a problem at all these days, but being able to interpret this information and judge its reliability can be difficult. This is particularly true for information about governments and their activities. Being intrinsically guarded about their information, governments seek to mask their activities through propaganda and hype, and therefore the imputation of certain intents and goals to the members of these governments frequently occurs. The lack of reliable or accurate information coming from governmental institutions provokes in the extreme case various conspiracy theories or elaborate generalizations. The author of this book does this to a certain degree, but he also offers an alternative viewpoint that at first glance may seem radical or cynical by some. This book, one of many by the author, is valuable because it helps to maintain an extreme skepticism about the activities of governments. Such a degree of skepticism is justified, given the horrendous acts that have been perpetrated by governments throughout the ages. It should be held as an axiom that governments cannot be trusted, that they lie more often than telling the truth, and that their goal is to mislead and manipulate the citizens they govern. To not hold to this extreme skepticism is to be vulnerable to government manipulation and propaganda, and susceptible to its possible tyrannies, to be in a failed state of mind.

    The author is the guru of the political left, but since he has a scientific background he has attracted the attention of many readers who view themselves as being in the center of the political spectrum. He therefore has a wide audience, which would be even larger if he would not place so much trust in mainstream newspaper publications. The author incessantly speaks of the press as being the tool of the elite and as being an ally to government propaganda. However he references their articles without restraint, as if they were an authority on the events that they presume to cover. It is quite easy, even fashionable, to sit in an armchair and summarize what has been written in popular newspapers. It is quite another thing to get information from other sources that can act as a balance and countercheck. This is extremely difficult to do, even if you are "on the ground" in the geographical area of interest. In addition, the author should remember that he too is a member of society, and therefore is subject to the same biases and media pressures that everyone else is. He does not have an apodictic certainty about the events and history that he writes about. To refer to the "populace" as being something outside of oneself, and subjected to misleading doctrines beyond their control, is not justified or even fruitful for objective analysis.

    The main goal of this book of course is to elaborate on the notion of a failed state, which as the author remarks, is a state that as a first requirement must be a potential threat to the security of the United States. Another requirement is that a failed state have a "deficit in democracy'. Still another is that it views itself as being outside the constraints of international law. And the author claims, perhaps without surprise, that the United States satisfies these requirements. This is a deep irony indeed, if one holds that the majority of Americans do in fact believe that they are "above it all" and are incapable of engaging in self-criticism.

    The author asks the reader to look in the mirror and honestly assess whether the United States is approaching the status of a failed state. He offers a lot of evidence supporting this view throughout the book. But he also imputes intentions to government officials that would be difficult to verify. This mistake is a consequence of some of the vague, floating abstractions that sometimes arise in the book. The problem with abstraction and generalization is that it can sometimes lead to conceptual tyranny: it does not allow the classification of events or individuals outside of its borders, or even sometimes insists there are no borders. A good example of this is the author's insistence that moral truth must conform to the `principle of universality'. This he accepts without critical analysis, possibly because the abandoning of it would weaken his case on the inherent hypocrisy of American society. Indeed, abandoning this principle would allow the view of American culture as having some kind of "special status" and would leave open the possibility of its citizens being allowed to do as they please to other peoples of the world.

    In general though the book is interesting reading and thought provoking, and encourages the reader to seek out more information on a particular topic. This is particularly true in the author's discussion on Israel, which is a country that is typically viewed by many in the Unites States as being benign or even heroic. The author though presents a view of Israel that is certainly a strong intellectual perturbation to this generally received view. His view of Israel is not a popular one, and if one repeats it in certain circles it will certainly raise an eyebrow, or even instigate retaliation and violence.

    American society is deeply introspective but not self-critical. If this book can induce more healthy criticism it has done its job. If it merely preaches to the choir it has failed. It would be wrong to characterize American society as a failed state due to the actions of its government therefore. A good state is one where its citizens concern themselves with what is right and just, and act accordingly. A failed state is one whose citizens are pliant and easily manipulated. American society seems to be struggling with the idea of freedom and democracy, which is a supreme irony considering its history. The pragmatism of its citizens will no doubt win over the immoralities and criminal acts of its government.
    105 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars What an impressive vision of the world
    Reviewed in France on January 4, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This is pure Chomsky, a must read
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  • Paul Takes Photos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Noam Chomsky Provides A Fascinating Insight.
    Reviewed in Germany on October 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A must have for those who are interested in US Foreign Policy and the factual critique of Noam Chomsky
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  • Shubhneek singh dhillon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book!!
    Reviewed in India on July 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A must for students of international relations and comparitive politics. Great insight nd somewhat changes the readers perception about the oldest democracy.
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  • Angela M. Oueslati Ramirez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Truthful, interesting, reality check
    Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    What is not to love about Chomsky? I bought this book because I am always interested in foreign policies from a certain country that tends to create conflicts to justify invasions and boost their own economy. From page 1 you get a hint of reality that many non-US born people are aware of. It's a must read!
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  • Manto
    5.0 out of 5 stars Follow the leader
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    When history is crafted in the service of power, evidence and rationality are irrelevant.

    Hazrat Chomsky is very popular with Pakistani literati and for good reason, as he presents the other aspects of the momentous world events which together makes the story somewhat complete.
    Consider the very obvious and rational argument, the top nation of the world, número uno country of the world, the mighty USA, misbehaving, openly flaunting, imperiously rejecting all international laws it expects rogue and terrorist nations of the world to follow. Trouble is, USA and its foreign policies are the main reason why countries like North Korea and Iran are in their current state, as every country in the world will consciously or subconsciously follow the leader, copying its every move and behaviours. Unfortunately for the world, USA will not change, why should it? Why change a strategy which has got it at the top slot. All the world has to do now is wait for an able contender for the throne. In the meantime writers like Chomsky will have a field day arguing to their lefty brothers. The book makes completing reading though.

    Check for yourself.....
    'International court jurisdiction has proven inappropriate for the United States.' Condoleeza Rice 2005.

    International law and court judgments are fine, but only when they come out the right way. Anything else is inappropriate for the United States.

    Why are the US nuclear facilities not open to IAEA like Iraq and Iran?

    The US has the right to attack any country that it thinks could attack it first.

    The logic of the annexation of Texas was essentially attributed to Saddam Hussain when he conquered Kuwait.

    A large majority of US public believe that the US should accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the World Court, sign the Kyoto protocols, allow the United Nations to take the lead in international crises, and rely on diplomatic and economic measures more than military ones in the 'war on terror'. ( A large scale survey conducted in the US by independent bodies).
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