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Liked It “Not classic Chomsky, but resounds with a truth we must face sooner or later: we have been responsible for a lot of unnecessary death.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Is this a joke? A repetitive rehash of old interviews released as a book. If it was by one of his right-wing opponents, most would consider this a cynical cash in on the 9-11 tragedy.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Not classic Chomsky, but resounds with a truth we must face sooner or later: we have been responsible for a lot of unnecessary death. ”
muque and shylock tomes wrote this review Wednesday, July 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Is this a joke? A repetitive rehash of old interviews released as a book. If it was by one of his right-wing opponents, most would consider this a cynical cash in on the 9-11 tragedy.”
Keerthi A wrote this review Friday, December 19 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book is a good introduction to Noam Chomsky's political analysis of American imperialism. It consists of seven divisions, each one of them focusing on a specific topic relevant to the event of 9-11. For example, one reader will find "The Ideological Campaign" informative in that it reveals the techniques of deception practiced by those in power; another reader will find "Crimes of State" insightful for revealing the nature of the administration's perfidy in dealing with innocents abroad.
Michael G wrote this review Thursday, May 29 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It must be remembered that this text is not a strictly reasoned analysis of the event of 9-11; indeed, as much as it covers that situation, Chomsky is replying to questions from journalists and reports at various times and to interviewers from various factions on the left.
Chomsky discussing why this event was so traumatic to Americans: it was the first time since the War of 1812, a small war fought between Britain and the United States over Canadian boundaries, that the U.S. had been attacked on its own soil.
Another espcially insightful remark can be found on page 21: "The U.S. is one of the most extreme fundamentalist cultures in the world; not the state, but the popular culture." I believe most readers will have trouble swallowing that remark. But I concur with Chomsky on that point: the sub-text of almost all American culture can be traced to Protestant Christianity. This is simply a fact, not an obtuse opinion.
Or consider the remark on page 23, "we should recognize that in much of the world the U.S. is regarded as a leading terrorist state, with good reason." Now it doesn't appear as if this is true: Americans seem quite generous with foreign aid and in relief work, even in such far flung places as Myanmar, China, and Indonesia. Yet it also seems clear that we are the most heavily armed people on the planet. How does a small third world nation look at the United States when a nuclear submarine or aircraft carrier, possibly worth the entire GNP of that nation, pulls in to one of the ports of that nation? It has to occur to these people that "we mean business" as we so amply demonstrated at the end of World War 2.
Again, what keeps the bin Laden faction fueled? Answer: page 27,"They draw from a reservoir of anger, fear, and desperation, which is why they are praying for a violent U.S. reaction, which will mobilize others to do other horrendous crimes."
And so it goes...”
“i am reading the Arabic language translation
Khalid wrote this review Friday, May 16 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
of this book, as usual, Chomsky argues the
backward-weak role of the Bush administration
that has affected other governmental organization
since the 1960s until the terrible events
took place in Manhatan”
“Noam Chomsky is quite a genius, and I'm beginning to get into more of his writings. This was interesting because he is being asked questions (basically) and giving very long and detailed answers about 9-11.”
mandy wrote this review Wednesday, April 16 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Chomsky is well spoken and his arguments make sense. He never says we deserved 9/11, but says Afghanistan didn't deserve the mujahadeen either (just one example). This book inspired me to learn more about the reasons US foreign policy is the way it is.”
Andrew C wrote this review Saturday, February 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Arauto da desgraça, amigo dos Chavez e dos Castros e de mais alguns abortos de índole totalitária! Nao me revejo naquilo que escreve sobre a actualidade internacional. Nós sabemos que o povo tem especial apetência
Alexandre S wrote this review Friday, January 18 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
para a desgraça, depois escreve-se palavras bonitas sobre o respeito dos Dtos Humanos, e esquece-se que também há muito iliberalismo no comportamento de mtas nações, sobretudo naquelas que tanto gosta de defender...treta da brava... No Passará!!! ”“Chomsky makes good points but seems too concerned with past transgressions by the United States.”
rynosoft wrote this review Monday, December 10 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“I thought Chomsky sounded mean to one of his interviewers in this book. Then again, a transcript of a live interview can be misleading. Maybe the mean comment was spoken with a chuckle or a tone of jest. Chomsky is usually more polite.”
footnotefetish wrote this review Monday, November 26 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
