Failed States

The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

by Noam Chomsky

Number of pages: 320

BBB Library: Technology and Globalization, Politics and Public Affairs

ISBN: 978-0805082845

About the Author

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist.

Editorial Review

The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene militarily against failed states around the globe. In this much-anticipated follow-up to his international bestseller Hegemony or Survival, Noam Chomsky turns the tables, showing how the United States itself shares features with other failed states-suffering from a severe democratic deficit, eschewing domestic and international law, and adopting policies that increasingly endanger its own citizens and the world.

Book Reviews

“Another unmissable book. If you're not keeping current with Chomsky, you're not keeping current with reality. In Failed States, Chomsky once again delivers an exhilarating/ depressing panorama view of the contemporary scene, inside and outside the United States, at dizzying speed.” Peace News

“This book is an indictment of the United States government for war crimes in the Iraq War from 2002 until 2006. The author, Noam Chomsky, then elaborates the long history of U.S. war crimes, and how anti-democratic forces accomplished the current status quo.” OnTheIssues.org

“THIS latest philippic from Noam Chomsky sets out to overturn every belief about their country Americans hold dear. The self-image of the United States as a beacon of freedom and democracy, lighting the way for the rest of the world, is a lie, Chomsky says, and it always has been. "Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy" aims to expose the rot of the shining city on a hill, from its foundations to its steeples.” New York Times

“The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene militarily against “failed states” around the globe. In this much-anticipated follow-up to his international bestseller Hegemony or Survival, Noam Chomsky turns the tables, showing how the United States itself shares features with other failed states—suffering from a severe “democratic deficit,” eschewing domestic and international law, and adopting policies that increasingly endanger its own citizens and the world.” The American Empire Project

“Chomsky in Failed States: The Abuse of power and Assault on Democracy makes a scathing attack on US policies and tactics, both at the level of domestic administration and foreign imperialistic strategies. The key element identified to support his argument on the failed American state is the “democratic deficit” that characterizes the contemporary American reality. Also, it becomes very clear from the beginning that Chomsky supports each of his arguments, by using numerous documentations.” The GW Post

“I do recommend this book to all readers who are concerned about the state of the world today. If we want to prevent more debacles such as America's unwarranted invasion of Iraq, if we are serious about defeating the forces of international terrorism, if we are genuinely committed to building a world where peace and justice are realities for all human beings, then, I think, Chomsky provides much food for thought.” The Radical Academy

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Wisdom to Share

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The conviction that democracy can be imposed from the outside "is the assumption driving America's intervention in Iraq" and has been "posited as a potential new pillar of ambition for US foreign policy elsewhere."