'Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy' by Noam Chomsky is a scathing critique of U.S. foreign and domestic policies, exposing the hypocrisy and danger of American actions both at home and abroad. Chomsky argues that the United States, often seen as a global superpower, actually fits the profile of a failed state, failing to protect its citizens from violence, disregarding international law, and lacking genuine democratic institutions. Through meticulous documentation and compelling arguments, Chomsky dismantles America's claim to being a promoter of democracy while highlighting the reckless and potentially disastrous consequences of its policies.
Chomsky's writing style in 'Failed States' is described as forceful, lucid, and urgent, offering a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. government's lawless military aggression, disregard for international norms, and self-exemption from accountability. The book covers a range of topics, from the escalation of nuclear risk to the consequences of the Iraq occupation, all while critiquing the American electoral system and the influence of corporate interests. Chomsky's uncompromising moral sensibility, icy logic, and withering sarcasm shine through in this polemic, making it required reading for every thoughtful citizen seeking a critical examination of American power dynamics.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Contains discussions of human rights violations, government abuses of power, and war crimes that may be distressing to some readers.
From The Publisher:
"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 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 latest 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.
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About the Author:
Noam Chomsky is the author of numerous bestselling political works, including Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, Imperial Ambitions and What We Say Goes. A professor of linguistics and philosophy at MIT, he is widely credited with having revolutionized modern linguistics. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.
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