Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

Noam Chomsky

Apr 2007 · Sold by Metropolitan Books

About this eBook

"It's hard to imagine any American reading this book and not seeing his country in a new, and deeply troubling, light."—The New York Times Book Review

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 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. Exploring the developments in U.S. foreign and domestic policy, Chomsky reveals Washington's plans to further militarize the planet, greatly increasing the risks of nuclear war. He also assesses the dangerous consequences of the occupation of Iraq; documents Washington's self-exemption from international norms, including the Geneva conventions and the Kyoto Protocol; and examines how the U.S. electoral system is designed to eliminate genuine political alternatives, 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. Systematically dismantling the United States' pretense of being the world's arbiter of democracy, Failed States is Chomsky's most focused—and urgent—critique to date.

Ratings and reviews

a tract which explores the us govt's commitment to democracy at home and abroad. some of the text has been presented before; the overall message is an attempt to explain the "strong thread of consistency" running through post-WWII US foreign policy. in particular, the "strong thread" is decidedly not the common refrain of democracy promotion; in fact it is the discontinuity between words and actions that is the real focus of the book. there are some real pearls in this one. the main target is US intellectual culture, which chomsky likens in a sense to postmodern criticism in the "restrict[ion of] attention to [journalistic] narrative and text, recoiling from Truth, perhaps a social construction." brilliant - a penetrating insight on what passes as journalism today, more an analysis of rhetoric rather than a sober and considered look at the results of policies. the fallout from neoliberal policies (IMF) forced upon societies is explored with the remarkable inverse correlation between adoption of said policies and economic growth. the "issue" of funding social security in the states is exposed as a myth. also, the US need for an ally in south asia in the "cop" scenario articulated by nixon explains alot of the recent pressure on india to play the part ... or else (us military funding to pakistan has increased - a not so subtle message). here are some more gems: "deeds consistently accord with interests, and conflict with words - discoveries that must not, however, weaken our faith in the sincerity of the declarations of our leaders." "In the term NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the only accurate words are 'North American'" "Many indigenous people apparently do not see any reason why their lives, societies, and cultures should be disrupted or destroyed so that New Yorkers can sit in SUVs in traffic gridlock."

About the author

Noam Chomsky is the author of numerous bestselling political works, including Hegemony or Survival and Failed States. A laureate professor at the University of Arizona and professor emeritus of linguistics and philosophy at MIT, he is widely credited with having revolutionized modern linguistics. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.