NOAM CHOMSKY:
The best reviews on Amazon for  
Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance
(a book by Noam Chomsky,
American Empire Project, 2003)

http://www.amazon.com/Hegemony-Survival-Americas-Dominance-American/dp/0805076883/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

bottom & links

Over  276 reviews were posted on amazon.com, and IMHO here are the best quips and quotes from all of them.  

BOOK SUMMARY:
Is America good or evil?  While the people and the ideals of the Founding Fathers are good, Chomsky concentrates on the foreign policies pursued abroad by the government.  Foreign policy is evil.  An evil foreign policy, magnified by globalization, could drag down not only the founding ideals of the country and its people, but the planet itself.  That seems to be the gist of the book, and here are the reviews that presumably normal people wrote after reading it.
--J. I. Nelson, Ph.D., August 2009

BEST QUIPS & QUOTES in reader's reviews of Chomskyk's  book:

Chomsky suggests that the blatant disregard by the US of efforts to establish systems of global equity__such as the demand for democratic reform of international institutions of political and economic governance, or complicity with global treaties addressing arms reduction and carbon emissions___proves that political and corporate elites have become so blinded by ideology that they are willing to champion US hegemony at the expense of global survival.

He cites country after country, in the Western Hemisphere and abroad, where US foreign policy has murdered thousands of innocent people, and he leaves no confusion in his wake about the US being a major state-sponsored terrorist nation.
--By Mark Watterson "Author of Don't Weep for Me, ... -

The current hegemonic system, Chomsky shows, relies on propaganda campaigns and misinterpreted information to instill manufactured fear in the public and to be able to get away with destroying others as the elites see fit in order to advance in their own self-interests.
--By Heath Parsons (Wichita, KS USA)

This book has opened my eyes to many of the possible reasons to explain the seeming disregard that our current government has for the Constitution, the will of the people and for any opposing points of view.
--By Steven Chambers (Solana Beach, CA USA)

The repression of other nations' citizenry is, in fact, the very reason Americans support certain foreign leaders.
--John Moe

After researching four and finding them unassailable, I stopped trying to fault the facts. The indictment of US foreign policy that Chomsky devolves from these facts is at such variance with our view of ourselves
--By A Customer

If you want to understand "Why do they hate us?" (and why that isn't even the right question to ask), Chomsky has the answers.
--SPM "scott_maykrantz" (Eugene, Oregon)

Chomsky also takes aim at President Clinton for his financial support for Turkey and Indonesia while they were committing outrageous human rights abuses (in the case of Turkey, with the Kurdish population and in the case of Indonesia, with the invasion of East Timor).
--By Aaron Taylor (Jefferson County, Missouri)

Just when I thought I had reached the lowest muck of political cynicism, Chomsky shows me another level of hell.
--By Alex Hutchinson "Author of Almost Columbine" (Carver, MA)

This book is full of events Chomsky claims US did to sabotage and destroy foreign countries.
--By Youn Kim -

There is a shift in emphasis in Hegemony Or Survival, from strictly domestic and foreign policy issues, to issues of human survival. In our over-heated, globalized world, Chomsky thinks it a very likely possibility that humanity will destroy itself.
--By Alexander Kemestrios Ben "A.K." (Allendale, Mi.

[The] prevailing American foreign policy for the past half-century: that of blatantly patronizing or simply disregarding the resolutions and rulings of international law-making and arbitrating bodies, flagrant violations of treaties, and abstention from or veto of critical UN votes in clear pursuit of its hegemonic aspirations. This attitude of patent arrogance pervaded many empires of times past and so does it in the current administration, as well as most of its post-Wilsonian predecessors.
--By Robert Geller (Fairfax, VA USA)

Chomsky provides copious evidence of the calculated and clearly stated intention of Washington elites to so dominate the earth by military and economic means that no other nation will ever again pose a threat.

Furthermore, because power ultimately serves the interests of only an elite few, US hegemony depends upon the control of the opinion of its own citizens through the manipulation of media and the manufacture of consent.

If the American public as a whole ever snapped out of its sugar-induced coma and learned the extent to which its own government was dripping with the blood of nations, they would rise up in democratic revolt, overthrow the bastards, and start something new __which is exactly what Chomsky hopes by this effort to facilitate.
--By givenatelove (Minneapolis)

This book, by Noam Chomsky, was very shocking to me. That was both because of what he writes about America's longstanding and brutal imperialism and my realization of how naive I have been throughout my life. I am now 80. I found myself wishing that what he is saying is not true. He uses innumerable citations and quotations to support his conclusions.
--By William R. Flynn "uureff" (Napa, CA, USA)

If you wonder why so much of the world dislikes or even hates the US, then this book will offer bountiful explanations,
--By Cato

U.S. foreign policy, like the policies of great powers before it, have rarely been predicated on the publicly espoused principles of democracy, equality and freedom, but in the pursuit of its elite's interests, often to the detriment of the environment,
democracy itself,

The phenomenon of "globalization", in practice, has benefited, for the most part, only the financial elites and the military and technocratic elements whose services are necessary to maintain the system. For the rest of humanity, globalization has come to mean a nightmare of economic and cultural disruption and dislocation on a global scale. It is interesting to note that with the advent of globalization, the gap between the rich and poor has increased significantly, not only on a global scale but within the individual economies of the wealthiest nations as well.
--By Rudolph E. Krigger Jr. (St. Thomas, VI USA)

I could only read this book a little at a time. I would get too angry and have to set it aside for a few days until I could handle some more ugly truth.

I always thought Bush's statement that the terrorists "hate us because of our freedoms" did not quite ring true. In light of our government's actions reported in this book, the statement becomes absurdly transparent misinformation.

At least now we know the REAL reasons why they hate us.
--By Gusto (USA)


Fifty years ago, I would have thrown this book into the garbage can; thirty years ago it would have had me steaming; today I read it and sadly shake my head and wish that it were not true.
--By Richard E. Noble "The Hobo Philosopher" (Florida Panhandle)

It's rare that you see Chomsky quote an entire passage of what an individual says to give the reader a the full scope of what is being said. Instead Chomsky manages to take out words and phrases from a passage and "filling in the blanks" with his own ideas
--By A. Lulla (Los Angeles, CA

While informative, at times this book is simply a little depressing.
--By K. Ferguson -

... preaching democracy abroad while limiting it as much as possible at home,
--By T. F. Johnson (Buenos Aires, Argentina) -

High school history classes(and Junior high for that matter)would not be so boring if the details, and roots of the reasons why events happen, were not omitted from school textbooks. It's as if certain people out there don't want our children to learn from past mistakes.
--By alex b. (usa) -

As an American that wants a secure nation, I believe reducing the threat of terror begins by curbing support of tyranny.
--By Jim Harrigan "the dirt man" (Arizona)

Reading this book makes you wonder why morons like Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld were advising the president, while significant intellectuals like Chomsky are kept to the underground lecture circuit.
--By T. Dolan "Watts" (Huntington Beach, CA USA)

Most Americans cruise blissfully unaware through life while our national leaders pursue goals that are the polar opposite of the fundamental American Values we were all taught in school. Democracy, self-governance, freedom, opportunity for all and justice are not the priceless gifts America takes to foreign nations. Instead, we take alliances with privileged and corrupt elites, military strongmen and corporados designed to prevent the vast majority from enjoying their own nation's wealth.
--By L. Twitchell (New Hampshire) -

read this book america!!!!!!! find out more about the country you live in.
--By Kevin Scanlon -

we'll have to pay for the harm we've brought to other countries in one way or another.
--By Janet V. Burr (Fresno, California)

Hugo Chavez may have done us Americans a favor by increasing sales of Chomsky in Washington power circles. This book should be made a required reading for entering State Department.
--By Jaque (Champaign, Illinois, USA

This isn't about Communism, Capitalism or Socialism, it is about people with power bullying and intimidating others,
--By Mr. Fellini "Fellini" (El Paso, Texas

The decline of the American empire has started, and its collapse is only a matter of time. But the dark age started a long time ago, when international law was twisted by force.
--By Ruggeri Laura "laura" (Hong Kong)

our leaders permit only the minimal amount of freedom to keep the masses from rebelling, that they see us as "beasts in men's shapes" that can no longer be held at bay by the lash as we were in previous eras, and therefore must be deceived through fear tactics, patriotic propaganda, and the illusion of democracy and choice. This explains why our elections make only minor differences in our government's actions, when it is US the PEOPLE who supposedly rule in a democratic society.
--By Brent

I doubt this book would have garnered so much attention had not Hugo Chavez waived it front of the UN assembly decrying US imperial ambitions. The book quickly soared to the top of most bestselling lists, and briefly topped amazon book sales. I well imagine Noam Chomsky had to crack a smile, as it turns out that people do take notice when someone questions American authority, and this is what this book is all about.
--By James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania)

I must say that Hugo Chavez made an excellent selection. At least this shows he reads, unlike George Bush.
--By Wendell Murray (Kennett Square PA USA)

The author bases many of his ideas on John Ikenberry's very interesting comment which is "...a grand strategy [that] begins with a fundamental commitment to maintaining a unipolar world in which the United States has no peer competitor, a condition that is to be permanent [so] that no state or coalition could ever challenge [the US] as global leader, protector and enforcer." Vahit Sametoglu (Pittsburgh, PA, USA)

It is a very disturbing experience to learn that your government has perpetrated heinous, indefensible crimes for decades, that both political parties are responsible, and that the majority of Americans have consistently given their consent. It is far more comforting to believe in the myths of American righteousness and virtue promulgated by our government, media, churches and schools, than to pursue a lonely quest for the truth.
--By Michael Curtis Stamper (WINDSOR, CT USA)

As a member of the human race it is your right and privIledge to seek out EVERY point of view, and eventually find your own. Congratulations, you have found an alternative point of view in the rather intelligent mind of Noam Chomsky.
--By T. S. Neroda "Dharma Sans Frontiers" (Earth)

Chomsky believes that we cannot possibly fight a "War on Terror" when we are the worlds' number one terrorist nation. Neroda AGAIN

Countries must be aligned with US interest in order to ensure capital penetration and corporate and military hegemony. If a country does not choose to align, then it will wind up a target of US backed aggression, or branded a terrorist state. In 1965,Indonesia expressed its intention to elder statesman Ellsworth Bunker that they wished to "'stand on their own two feet in developing their economy, free from foreign, especially Western influence'. A National Intelligence Estimate in September 1965 warned that if the efforts of the mass-based PKI 'to energize and unite the Indonesian nation ... succeeded, Indonesia would provide a powerful example for the underdeveloped world and hence a credit to communism and a setback for Western prestige." A US backed coup ensued, killing close to 1,000,000 people, and installed the brutal dictator General Suharto. This is the cost, Chomsky highlights, of not aligning with the "master" state.

If a country does choose to align, as is the case with countries like Israel and Turkey, they become client states and are protected under the aegis of the American military, and given monetary and military aid.
--By Mark Twain Lenny -

Are you afraid? Are you scared of what the big bad book might say? Is that why your not buying it?

Go ahead buy the book and prove to yourself that your not afraid of reading something a little different than "I love my country, and my country loves me," by Uncle Sam.
--By Chet Hunter -

All that school and the media never told you . . .
--By D. Bursch (Nashville, TN) -

when our government demeans our democracy with a foreign policy that wreaks havoc on indigent populations so that mega corporations can have preferential control over that country's natural resources, it is wrong.
--By Eve -

If we can't look out our political system and recognize the flaws and acknowledge that change should happen then where does that leave us? In a regressive rut with no hope for the future. In the end, make up your own mind
--By Jeremy Nelson (Iowa City, IA)

What really cracks me up is that a guy like Chavez can hold this book up while calling Bush the devil, and it rockets up the charts.
--By Saturngemm (Portland, OR)

NPR won't even touch this guy. Chomsky offers an incisive look at U.S. global domination (e.g. hegemony) and how -- despite the 'bad news' we hear all the time - people are fighting back across the planet. A quick and surprisingly entertaining read.
--By W. B. Malkus "Country guitar slinger" (Austin, Texas) -

Many schools are showing the DVD "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" to protect the intellectual integrity of their kids.
--By Preston C. Enright (Denver, CO United States)

The truth is the USA have maimed and killed innocent people for selfish gain.
--By Mr. J. Parker "J" (UK) -

Just recently Stephen Hawkings posed a question on Yahoo Public. Hawkings asked whether it can be demonstrated that humankind will survive the next 100 years. I don't think that most people can answer this question. It asks us to question one of the most fundamental assumptions that we have about the future of the human race and life on Planet Earth. To hold this assumption without demonstration could prove to be fatal indeed. This question is the most critical question that one must ask and attempt to
answer.  [snip]

in answer to Hawkings' question, the first step to insure that humankind has even a chance to survive the next hundred years is to end war. Any country which goes against international law and the United Nations to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity should be considered a rogue nation that must be denied, oppossed and resisted by every means possible.
--By Raymond Moore (Korea) -

A few points to raise: Chomsky occasionally applies passing references to well established systems of thinking without quoting directly. For example, in discussing Clinton's unilateral bombing of the al-Shifa plant in Sudan in 1998, he refers to "the Hegelian doctrine that Africans are `mere things', whose lives have `no value.'" (pg. 207). No direct reference to Hegel is provided.
--By Mr. Bloom (New York)

The second major criticism is that Chomsky does not have any "solutions."
--By Eric Bryant "dissident librarian" (Brooklyn, NY)

It may be difficult for some readers of this book to accept the facts of American aggression and hypocrisy.
--By D. Baine -

He ends the book with a chapter on the militarization of space, a project that has been going on for some years now, but is essentially being kept from public awareness.
--By Pieter H. Wessels -

It makes the laws, it claims to support the laws, it demands that others follow the laws, but America does not follow the law itself. It is as simple as that.
--By J. E. Robinson

Let's choose survival!,
--By Hippietyp (USA) -

what I've slowly become aware of is that his books aren't very useful when trying to actually figure out what should be done. From a policy perspective, he adopts a strictly moralist based approach and is unwavering in it. He doesn't take into account that
other states don't operate on this approach
--By Lee L. (Washington DC)

the authors contends that in the era of sophisticated terrorism, there will be a backlash against the world's sole superpower.
--By J. head (littlteton, nh USA)

The grain of truth in this book is that America is indeed seeking world domination, although perhaps not deliberately.
--By Epops (usa) -

particularly interested in foreign policy --I am a teenager; I hate the government by default.

But now...well.

I think I just got my first gray hair. Indeed, Chomsky's formal, unforgiving logic and systematic attack of every conceivable aspect of his arguments soon transformed what seemed like a heavy-handed intellectual diatribe into a frightening page-turner that will have you sitting up in your seat, uttering curses to yourself. A brilliant organizer, Chomsky anticipates your every question and stands at the ready with entire sections of well-sourced, footnoted fact.
--By SLF (Los Angeles, CA)

If you have ever wondered how our American service personnel could torture a 120 pound civilian taxi driver to death in an Afghan prison, read this book. If you have ever wondered why it seems that the rest of the world doesn't understand us and even hates us, read this book. There is a reason why we think of ourselves as the savior of civilization and the rest of the world sees us as the greatest threat to global peace in existence.  ....  You'll never watch the news the same again.
--By Michael Kear (Enid, Oklahoma)

On page 235 is a good example of hope in this book: "It would be a great error to conclude that the prospects are uniformly bleak. Far from it. One very promising development is the slow evolution of a human rights culture among the general population...that accelerated in the 1960s...heightened concern for civil and human rights, including rights of minorities, women, and future generations...environmental movement...",
--By Bugs "Patrick" (Los Angeles, Ca.)

Here are some parts I highlighted from the book which I thought were really good:

On the war on drugs: The current things we are doing are not working, prevention and treatment are much more effective. Why don't we spend our money on this? Also land that we poison in Colombia (so drugs won't be able to grow) to "save ourselves" from drugs causes children to die or suffer from sickness and injury.

After pleading guilty to misdemeanor counts in the Iran-contra affair, Abrams received a Christmas Eve pardon from President Bush I in 1992, and was appointed by Bush II to lead the National Security Council's office for Near East and North African affairs -the senior director job that oversees Arab-Israeli relations and U.S. efforts to promote peace in the troubled region. (Hmm, I wonder why we can't seem to fix anything over there...)
--By Gen Res (America)

As both the leading superpower in the world today and the most hated state in the international arena, America continues to face many criticisms.
--By Hassan Abdo "jerzyleb" (New Jersey)

and prevent development in the Third World. Think for a second about how the United States developed as an industrial power: through high tariffs, not 'free trade'. --By refusing to allow other nations to develop self-sufficiency and local industry and agriculture, we keep them in a state of perpetual enslavement to American corporate interests. Again, this is not a 'liberal screed', it is modern economic theory, right out of the Wall Street Journal.
--By Klaen Morthaur (california)

Chomsky sustains his arguments with 26 pages of detailed footnotes (pretty substantial for a 236 page book).
--By Vasili Arkhipov -

Not since I read Dee Brown's BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE some years ago have I encountered a book that so radically shook my perspective on American history and the myth of "America the noble and good" as did HEGEMONY AND SURVIVAL. In a moderately dense yet compelling fashion, Noam Chomsky peels away layers upon layers of governmental obfuscation and media complicity to reveal America as seen by those looking upon our last sixty years of foreign policy from the outside, and particularly those upon whom our actions have too often been tragically visited.

Far too few of us call into question our self-satisfying mythology of America the guardian of freedom, always on the side of right, always pursuing the greater good for the downtrodden and oppressed. In its place, Chomsky shows us America the domineering, the globally aggressive seeker of what's best for American commercial interests, supporter of all manner of tyrannical regimes and opponent of nearly every liberal democratic movement of the last half century.

Readers may be put off by Chomsky's continued references to American actions as "terrorism," particularly as this has become such a loaded word. However, his point is clear and repeatedly emphasized: we as a country have chosen to call terrorism whatever actions harm our country or its citizens, while virtually identical actions taken against others by us, or conducted under our authorization or support, are justified in the name of defense, freedom, democracy, or counterterrorism.
--By Steve Koss (New York, NY United States)


Those who appreciate Chomsky will do well to look into the following:

• --The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, John Mearsheimer
• --Theory of International Politics; Kenneth Waltz
• --Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace; Hans Morgenthau

--By Daniel H. Oliphant -


Frankly, one needn't even read Chomsky, except to delight in his language and logic. The truth is already bluntly spelled out in Zbigniew Brezinski's "The Grand Chessboard" and in the Project for the New American Century's "Rebuilding America's Defenses" (by Wolfowitz, Perle, Kristol and a rogue's gallery of Bush/neocon opportunists). The latter document is by any estimate the "Mein Kampf" of the Bush League, in that the full scheme of hegemonic conquest is laid out in plain sight for all to see.
--By "Spin" Boldak (Pittsburgh, PA USA)

Read this book if you want to know why we are globablly headed down the wrong path, plain and simple.

Also, you may want to read Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States for a historical background that is second to none. He presents the history of our country through the eyes of the people who REALLY shaped it.
--By G. Love -

Chomsky brilliantly analyzes U.S. foreign policy and gives unequivocal proof that the U.S. government displays a flagrant disregard for human rights and international law. Driven primarily by strategic and economic interests, the U.S. foreign policy makers appear completely indifferent to human suffering.
--By Srebrenica Forever (Sweden)

There's a very good reason Chomsky is often dismissed, or simply despised. His work concerns elementary moral questions, intellectual honesty, and general concern for PEOPLE, not institutions, or even states. He's anything but anti-American, if anything, he's very American. He cherishes freedom, and he routinely states that many of our American freedoms are unique and unprecedented. He reminds us that in a democracy, in a real democracy, you don't 'rally to the leader', you don't blindly worship the state. If we believe in freedom, real freedom, then we question power structures and their authority over us, and we reject them if they're not legitimate.
--By N. P. Stathoulopoulos "nick9155" (Brooklyn, NY)

The main point that I took away from this book was that the U.S. partakes & supports many of the same atrocities as those of the people it condemns, engages in what would easily be seen as war crimes if they had been commited by another nation, and continually acts against international law. Clearly, there is a double standard here and that is what Chomsky spends most of this book examining.  ...

The reason why the U.S. violates international laws regarding human rights and conduct in war (one only has to look at the ever expanding Abu Gharib scandal) while at the same time condemning other nations for the same violations is because, well... it
can.
--By Janie Jones (Toronto, Canada)


Chomsky has unearthed an infallible pattern in the "pretext of war"  -

0. Identify a target -  DEFINITELY steer clear of worthy opponents - i.e., the Koreas and Pakistans of the world who actually have nukes.

1. Invent a reason to invade the country - Lie about one of its dictators being a threat to the US.

2. Brainwash simpleminded Americans by repeating this "threat" at all possible media occassions,

3. Thereby get "popular support"

4. Bomb the country in question.

5. Repeat until satisfied.

6. Always call it "liberation". It goes down well with the people back home.

7. Push in with "Reconstruction/Restructuring Programs", so that all the Corporations (Haliburton, anybody?) that backed your campaigns get their due in dollars.

8. Pat yourself on the back for creating yet another overseas market for manufacturing surplus at home, and oh ! a source of cheap labour too.

9. Set up a big oil pump over there to keep the "american way of life" ticking over.

10. What about American casualties? In all sincererity the numbers are very small, which explains the monumental hype attached to every single casualty.
--By Prasanna Karmarkar "Peeker Marker" (Randolph NJ)

What makes me sad is that we know that the average american are good people, honest and hard working.And that honest and good people know nothing about some of the actions that their Govt undertakes..If they did , they surely will have a very strong opinion on this....USA is the leading force in the world now...and the world needs USA leadership... Please lead for democracy and equality!!!
--By MADC "mdiaz" (America Latina) [probably Dominican Republic]

He notes how in 2003 Al Qaida blew up in Jiddah the civilian headquarters of a U.S. firm which trains the Saudi Palace Guard to protect the dictatorship from its own people. He observes that people in the Arab world despise Al Qaida but tolerate it as the only force standing up to unjust U.S. support for dictatorships and other unjust policies.
--By CG (Washington state, USA)

Some people believe that holding America accountable for it's foreign policy decisions is no less than treasonous and anti-American. Thus they make the mistake of confusing the actions of the American government for the will of the people and rob this great Nation of any moral standing when criticizing the behavior of other nations.

America has supported, trained and funded terrorism for years when it served the elite Washington interest to do so. Any 10 year-old with a curious mind and an Internet connection can tell you that.
--By B. Lane "baronl" (New York, New York USA)

We wonder why terrorists would want to attack us. We, the average person, have been completely in ignorance of what our government, in our name, has done to other people and countries. We are lied to all the time.
--By "truthandjustice" (USA)

reflect the interests of those who wield most wealth and power. (If this isn't common sense, I don't know what is.) Sometimes the pursuit of self-interest results in good --like, arguably, the Marshall Plan, or the defeat of the Nazis --and oftentimes in bad. Responding to the critics, February 1, 2004
--By A Customer

shows what our country is REALLY doing! Destroying everyone to gain more power!
--Great Book! It is as it IS, January 28, 2004
--By A Customer

His basic premise is that the American government will do anything to protect it's economic interests and it's global power, even if it includes supporting acts that could be considered terrorism.

For example, consider the case of Emmanuel Constant. Constant was a leader of a paramilitary force in Haiti which was responsible for the deaths of thousands in the early 90's. Haiti has repeatedly requested for the extradition of Constant, so that he can face trial for his crimes. However, the U.S. refuses to do so. Would it be justifiable for Haiti to bomb New York in an attempt to recover Constant and to punish the government that protects him? Most people would say no, but they would support a similar case--the invasion fo Afghanistan to find Bin Ladin. Why the double standard?

ANother point he covers is the atrocities committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinians and by the Turkish government against the Kurds. These campaigns kill thousands and terrify the local populations, but they aren't call terrorism because they are campaigns supported by the American government. If we're going to have a war against terror, shouldn't we be a little more objective?
--By T. Hooper "thdizzy" (Osaka, Japan)

I absolutely agree with Noam, that the US is imperialist. I'm actually thankful this is the case despite all its seemingly negative short term consequences. In the long term, I find that this stance is the best one. Consider the alternative, not being imperialist would cause some other entity to rise up to the global level and threaten the American way of life. By that time, things would of gotten out of hand and it would be too late. This simply should not happen. Always remember the purpose of government is to keep other governments from imposing its order on you.
--Excellent book., January 9, 2004
--By A Customer

It ignores many of the arguable justifications for the behaviors it condemns, and it fails to consider the possible risks of totally abandoning such behaviors.

For example, Chomsky fails to point out that many of the killings he blames on America were done to counter a political force, i.e., Communism, whose killings have far exceeded those of Hitler and have many times exceeded those Chomsky blames on America.

Unfortunately killing and threatening to kill are extremely powerful tools for gaining and keeping power.

He fails to mention that since no current world institution has the power to forcefully settle disputes between major powers, the world's current state of governance is one of anarchy. Given these facts, Chomsky should at least have considered the argument that, by helping enforcing some order upon a largely chaotic, Machiavellian world, America may actually have decreased, rather than increased, net human suffering.
--By Edward W. Porter (Exeter, NH)

Chomsky discusses how U.S. foreign policy has been designed to mostly serve elite economic interests since the end of WWII. He argues that deteriorating living conditions for most of the world's people are of little concern to those in power, as evidenced by the long record of U.S. support for dictators who have brutally repressed their citizens and organized labor. Rather, the primary objective has been to create a favorable business environment and thereby ensure predictable financial returns for
investors.

As military technology has become more lethal, Chomsky believes that humanity has entered a very dangerous era. Technological superiority tempts those in power to use it to gain advantage,
--By Malvin (Frederick, MD USA)

US aid grows in direct relation to the degree to which the recipient country is guilty of genocidal atrocities, with Colombia and Turkey being prime examples. The case can be made, and Chomsky makes it, that the US arms industry, and US policies on the selling and granting of arms world-wide, are in fact a direct US commitment to repression, genocide, and terrorism sponsored by one big state: the US. He is most interesting when he discusses the new US approach to repression, the privatization of actions against the underclasses of the world.

Chomsky draws on both his linguistic and historical background to make the case that the US is the primary sponsor of terrorism in the world (something both the Indonesian and Malaysian leadership would tend to agree with), and he notes that the US, in a bi-partisan manner among the elite, has consistently been hypocritical about terrorism. Nelson Mandela, and his resistance party, were labeled terrorists by the US for many years.
--By Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States)

Chomsky sees the two parties as nearly indistinguishable, calling them the two "business parties, one slightly less reactionary than the other." And here's Chomsky quoting Dewey on the narrow U.S. political spectrum.: "...John Dewey scarcely exaggerated when he described politics as 'the shadow cast on society by big business.'

One of his main themes is that the United States, like its imperial predecessor, Great Britain, employs an idealizing and utopian language (the language of democracy and freedom) to justify its opposition to and extirpation of any countervailing force, even those founded upon the democratic or populist impulse, e.g., Nicaragua, Guatemala.

One of the more memorable examples he cites in making this case is the special wrath of the present administration for "Old Europe" when it failed to march in lockstep into the war in Iraq. Chomsky notes that, in fact, the leaders of France and Germany by refusing to along were giving voice to and representing their citizens, great majorities of whom were against the war.

humanity is now situated at the brink of biological destruction, and the survival of the species depends upon worldwide resistance to the U.S. regime.
--By Panopticonman "panopticonman" (Brooklyn, NY USA)

the United States has attempted to "maintain its hegemony through the threat or use of military force."
--From Publishers Weekly

As the world's lone superpower and with the justification of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. has accelerated the troubling trend, with disastrous implications for foreign and domestic policy. Drawing parallels with nineteenth-century Britain, Chomsky examines the current U.S. world posture and growing willingness to act unilaterally. The country's sense of its role in world history and its noble ideals __not to mention its military might__have given rise to the notion that its motives and actions are
not to be questioned at home or abroad.
--From Booklist

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Hegemony, or survival?
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Rev 4sep09 fix wordwrap; 14Nov09 better opening context.