In "Failed States", Chomsky undertakes an in-depth examination of the concept of failed or rogue states. He presents a compelling argument that the United States indeed meets the criteria of such a state.

Chomsky defines these states as those that consider themselves exempt from domestic or international law and suffer from a "democratic deficit", where democratic forms exist but lack substance. To support his claim, he offers substantial evidence. This includes the U.S.'s lawless military aggression, its self-exemption from international law, its support for anti-democratic dictators, and its disregard for the opinions and wishes of the majority of its own population.

While the text and Chomsky may have some limitations, mainly that he focuses predominantly on argument and evidence and provides relatively few practical suggestions for effecting change from within the power-based systems he criticizes. Nevertheless, considering the information that most Americans typically consume as news, this work should be essential reading for every citizen. It challenges us to think critically about our own country and its role in the world, and to question the status quo. By doing so, we can begin to envision and work towards a more just and democratic future.

I could not bring myself to finish "Failed States". It wasn't due to the book being of poor quality. Instead, it was because it hopped around erratically from one issue to another, from one disaster to the next, all with the same overarching theme - that the United States had perpetrated numerous evil acts. This is indeed a fact. However, a more systematically organized catalogue of the United States' interventions in countries such as Iran, the Philippines, Chile, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and others would be of far greater value than this haphazard rambling. I earnestly hope that one day, if it hasn't already been done, a historian will undertake the task of compiling such a comprehensive catalogue and include Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, and Haiti in the mix.

This would provide a more in-depth and accurate understanding of the United States' actions and their consequences around the world. It would allow for a more informed and objective analysis of the role that the United States has played in international affairs over the years. Such a catalogue could serve as a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and the general public alike, enabling them to better understand the complex web of relationships and events that have shaped our world.

This is a truly compelling and yet depressing read.

Although it may not be the central focus of this work, essentially what Professor Chomsky is communicating is that the vast majority of Americans do not give their approval to the activities of their government. However, they find themselves in a situation where they feel completely helpless and believe they can do absolutely nothing about it.

Meanwhile, as Midnight Oil so poignantly sang, the rich continue to amass more wealth, while the poor are left to understand the harsh reality.

The main focus of this work lies in the sinister and underhanded shenanigans that the USA and its allies engage in both on the global and domestic stages. This is a subject that Chomsky has covered extensively in many of his books, so much of this may not be entirely new ground.

But what really stands out for me and what I am taking away from this book is the sense of powerlessness that the American voter experiences. I believe Chomsky is trying to make the electorate aware that ultimately, the crimes and sins committed by their government and big business are their own problem.

It is a wake-up call for the American people to realize their role and responsibility in holding their leaders and institutions accountable.

In his thought-provoking work "Failed States", Noam Chomsky presents the reader with a clever double entendre argument.

"Failed States" not only refers to those countries that have attempted and failed to establish democracies, but also to the failure of the USA to truly establish its own democracy.

The book can be neatly divided into two distinct sections. The first section serves as an historical documentation, meticulously detailing how the US has persistently stood in the way of countries striving to establish democracies. This political blockade is mainly orchestrated by right-wing political powerhouses who are working in the interests of US corporations in these countries. The strength of Chomsky's argument lies in his well-documented evidence, with a particular focus on the GW Bush administration. Under the guise of "spreading democracy", the US actually undermines democratic movements, seeking to maintain its influence in these regions.

In a similar vein, just as the US government subverts democratic movements abroad, it engages in the same behavior within the USA. This is the essence of the second section, "Democracy Promotion at Home". The argument posits that the US government consistently acts against the wishes of the majority of the American people and instead caters to corporate interests at the expense of the majority. Once again, his evidence is well-supported and documented. In the Afterword, Chomsky offers potential solutions that could work towards transforming the US government, and the Republican party in particular, into a more trustworthy and less deceitful, criminal entity for democracies.

"Failed States" provides validation for many of the complaints and arguments put forth by those who are truly interested in establishing a fair and benevolent government. However, the sheer volume of evidence and specific details included in this book may deter the casual reader. Published in 2006 during the chaotic era of the GW Bush presidency, which was characterized by its blatant disregard for protocol in international military and economic actions, "Failed States" may be even more applicable to the current criminal activities of the Trump administration.

For anyone interested in understanding the seemingly illogical actions of the US government in foreign affairs throughout the early 2000s, this book is an absolute must-read. As a follow-up to "Hegemony or Survival", "Failed States" offers valuable insights and implicates the US government in its continued pattern of lies and deception, both towards its own citizens and regarding those countries unfortunate enough to have the USA as an ally.

This book holds certain value.

Particularly after a decade, one can observe that some of Chomsky's predictions have proven accurate, while others seem exaggerated.

Typically, like the author usually does, there is a significant amount of glossing over contrary thoughts in order to favor his strong bias.

Nevertheless, he presents some interesting and mostly true ideas that are crucial to understand. These ideas shatter the image of Americans' supposed inherent and entitled superiority and instead reveal the reality of a broken, corrupt, and abusive system that has frequently violated international law and human rights in the pursuit of "its interests".

Not that I required any additional reason, but after reading this book, I feel even more ashamed of the country where I was born and raised.

The absurdity that the USA has displayed and managed to get away with on the international stage for decades sickens me, and this book does an excellent job of highlighting some of these almost unbelievable behaviors in recent years.

For this reason, this book should be lauded.

However, it is also a volume of biased, meandering, and structureless rhetoric that is often too dense and dull to be enjoyable.

I am grateful for the information this book has added to my world view and context, but I probably will never read it again.

When history is crafted in the service of power, evidence and rationality are rendered irrelevant.

Hazrat Chomsky enjoys great popularity among Pakistani literati, and with good reason. He presents the other aspects of momentous world events, thereby making the story somewhat more complete.

Consider the very obvious and rational argument. The top nation in the world, the mighty USA, misbehaves, openly flaunts, and imperiously rejects all international laws that it expects rogue and terrorist nations to follow. The trouble is that the USA and its foreign policies are the main reason why countries like North Korea and Iran are in their current states. Every country in the world will consciously or subconsciously follow the leader, copying its every move and behavior. Unfortunately for the world, the USA shows no sign of changing. Why should it? After all, why change a strategy that has brought it to the top? All the world can do now is wait for an able contender for the throne. In the meantime, writers like Chomsky will have a field day arguing with their lefty brethren. The book makes for compelling 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 for the United States. Anything else is deemed inappropriate.

Why aren't the US nuclear facilities open to the IAEA like those of Iraq and Iran?

The US claims the right to attack any country that it believes could attack it first.

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

A large majority of the US public believes 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 more on diplomatic and economic measures than military ones in the 'war on terror'. (According to a large-scale survey conducted in the US by independent bodies).

Noam Chomsky presents a rich analysis of the contradictions in American politics and its double standards throughout history.

He delves deep into how the United States has often professed certain values while acting in ways that undermine them.

For example, the claim of promoting democracy abroad has sometimes been used as a guise for干涉 and regime change.

Chomsky examines the various policies and actions that highlight these disparities, showing how they have shaped the course of American history and its international relations.

His work forces us to question the true nature of American politics and the extent to which its proclaimed ideals are actually adhered to.

By shining a light on these contradictions, Chomsky provides valuable insights that can help us better understand the complex web of American political behavior.

**Chomsky’s Failed States - A Thought Provoking Read**

Noam Chomsky, the highly controversial American left intellectual, a professor, philosopher, and a prolific author, in his book “Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy,” presents a thought-provoking definition of failed states. He argues that failed states are those that are incapable of safeguarding the rights of their citizens and strengthening democracy. These states, suffering from a democratic deficit, are unable to protect their people from violence and destruction.

According to Chomsky, American democratic institutions are gradually weakening. He supports this claim by highlighting the low voter turnout ratio in America during previous elections compared to other developed countries. Moreover, he contends that American elections often center around the interests of the corporate sector rather than the public. In the book, Chomsky presents strong arguments and fearlessly criticizes the most powerful institutions of the state.

He also points out that where there is power, there is always a possibility of its misuse. America, being the most powerful country, has not been immune to this. Chomsky criticizes American foreign policy, stating that the country has invaded and waged wars against other countries without regard for their physical boundaries, resulting in the deaths of millions of civilians. He cites the examples of the American invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan, which caused numerous civilian and non-militant casualties. Additionally, Chomsky discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict and how America is involved in the making and breaking of governments in different countries.

However, I have some disagreements with the writer. I appreciate the American foreign policy, which can be described as “aggressively defensive” in the writer’s words. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons for America’s status as a superpower. The sayings “survival of the fittest” and “might is right” are well-known, and the US seems to be a true example of these.

This book is a must-read for journalists, historians, students of political science, international relations, and other related disciplines. If you are concerned about the future of the US, democracy, and the world we live in, then you should not miss reading this book.

At the end, I pose an open-ended question to the readers. Is Pakistan also a failed state? Does it safeguard its citizens and their rights? Is democracy flourishing in Pakistan? Is it possible in Pakistan for one to have as much liberty to criticize any “holy cow” as Chomsky has done in his book? The answer is for you to decide.

#bookreview
#NoamChomsky
#bookreviewblogger
#muhammadsharif
#محمد_شریف

As a teenager, I read this book, and ever since then, I have become increasingly aware of my aversion to both the book and Chomsky's political writing and rhetoric.

There is no doubt in my mind about the catastrophe that was the Iraq war. If that were the only aspect to consider, perhaps it might deserve 5 stars. However, the question remains: why did the Iraq war occur? What was the history of Iraq under Saddam? How did the invaders and the invaded actually perceive the invasion?

This book seemingly lacked any human curiosity regarding any of the parties involved in this disaster. Everything was merely an illustration of Chomsky's pre-existing belief about American imperialism. To be fair, the book is now a distant memory, but I still vividly recall a scathing passage about Wolfwitz.

Later, upon reading Hitch-22 and Hitchen's very different view, I found myself wondering not so much if Wolfwitz was a good person, but rather if there is something fundamentally lacking in Chomsky's way of understanding those in power.

The translation, in my opinion, was not suitable and I couldn't read the book well.

I had high expectations for this translation, but unfortunately, it failed to meet them. The words and phrases seemed to be chosen without much thought, making the text difficult to understand.

It's essential for a translation to accurately convey the meaning and spirit of the original work. In this case, it felt like something was lost in the process.

I hope that in the future, more attention will be paid to the quality of translations to ensure that readers can fully enjoy the content of the books they are reading.

This was my first encounter with Chomsky's work, having long anticipated delving into it. His writing style is straightforward, often enlivened by sharp wit and sarcasm. If the topics weren't so serious, there were moments when I might have found myself laughing.

"Failed States" was penned in the mid-2000s, during the Bush presidency. Chomsky makes some sobering predictions that have since come to fruition: the deterioration of the democratic public forum, the growing partisanship in politics, the undermining of public services, and the rising international dissatisfaction. These predictions, by their very nature, add credence to his analysis. While there were parts where I remained skeptical of his arguments, he effectively made his central point: the United States displays many characteristics of a failing state.

I'm still intrigued by the public polling that Chomsky references. The large percentages of people advocating for change in climate and foreign policy were astonishing, especially given the era in which the book was written. I wonder if the public still holds such a consensus after decades of misinformation and misdirection.

This is a book that I would love to revisit and explore the specific issues it raised in more depth. It serves as an excellent starting point, particularly for examining the United States' abhorrent abuse of power in无视 human rights law. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

As usual, Chomsky's work is spot-on and illuminating.

His analysis, especially the parts regarding the 2004 election and the media's behavior, is particularly incisive. The media's blathering and sycophantic crotch-fawning over their political and corporate masters is a disturbing trend that he aptly critiques.

Chomsky approaches his subject with an often wry sense of humor and irony. This aspect might be easily missed if one is not careful. He carefully dissects the concept of a 'failed state' and then devotes several hundred pages to explaining why he believes we live in such a state.

Even if one disagrees with his views, his work provides a starting point for meaningful discussion. Unlike the often unproductive arguments on Facebook with strangers or the turbid crotch-beercan mewling at the television, Chomsky references a wealth of sources and encourages others to do the same. His work is a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue about the state of our society and the role of the media within it.