Product Description

The United States asserts the right to use military force against ‘failed states’ around the globe. But as Noam Chomsky argues in this devastating analysis, America shares features with many of the regimes it insists are failing and constitute a danger to their neighbours. Offering a comprehensive and radical examination of America past and present, Chomsky shows how this lone superpower – which topples foreign governments, invades states that threaten its interests and imposes sanctions on regimes it opposes – has stretched its own democratic institutions to breaking point. And how an America in crisis places the world ever closer to the brink of nuclear and environmental disaster.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9891 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Noam Chomsky is the author of numerous bestselling political works, including Hegemeny or Survival, Imperial Ambitions and, with Gilbert Achcar, Perilous Power, all published by Hamish Hamilton/Penguin. A professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT, Chomsky is widely credited with having revolutionized modern linguistics. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Blistering State of the Union dissection
Failed States is Professor Noam Chomsky's latest state of the nation address, a critical snapshot of where the United States is right now.

The approach he takes is that 'Failed States' is a phrase used within the U.S. establishment to justify certain exercises of power, from financially supporting opponents of failed states, to regime change and invasion. 'Failed states', like 'rogue states' and 'states of concern' before it, is a vague term, perhaps deliberately so but Chomsky identifies some defining features of a failed state, among them, a failure to adequately protect its citizens from terrorism, a failure to provide reasonable health care for all, regardless of an ability to pay, a tendency to break international law and act regardless of treaties and conventions, a lack of representative democracy in its political processes.

Chomsky argues that a fundamental moral truism is that an individual or a country should judge oneself by the same standards that you apply to others, if not to a higher standard if you are completetly honest with yourself. Therefore, the United States should be examined on the basis of the criteria briefly laid out above. Chomsky undertakes this task and finds that the U.S. is sorely lacking in many crucial respects and indeed shares many of the key aspects of countries that are currently demonised by those who stalk the corridors of power.

As is probably familiar to readers of Chomsky, I approached this book with a little caution, fearing that Chomsky was simply going to rehash many of his familiar arguments and cases through this new prism; I was pleased to find that, whilst there is obviously some overlap with previous texts, there is a great deal of fascinating contemporary material in this highly detailed book. Those who are cautious about purchasing another Chomsky text, concerned about over-familiarity, need worry no more. Read alongside his previous excellent book, Hegemony or Survival, Failed States is yet another classic.

Always good for a good debate...
Typically, Professor Chomsky asks Americans to stop condemning 'failed states' (note the quotes) and "to look honestly in the mirror" instead. By this reasoning, America's own shortcomings would be assessed (and corrected?) before attacking the shortcomings of others--and, by a sort of 'leading by example'-process, those same shortcomings of others might also be rectified, ultimately. This is because, as Chomsky frequently argues, other states' shortcomings are ultimately the fault of the United States to begin with. A tidy, circular logic indeed. Then again, the reader has to assume, stepping into this ring, that such social and political introspection ('the Mirror'), is not a form of obsessive narcissism, if not isolationism, in itself. 'All things being equal' in a culturally-relativistic view of reality, the explicit failings of the United States today is no different than that of, say Iran--worse even by its hypocrisy and propensity for 'messianic' intervention. This is right up there with t-shirts branding Bush II as the 'World's #1 War Criminal and Terrorist'. Yes, he's MORE of a monster than Osama bin Laden, perhaps even types like Hitler and Stalin, because he simply has more power than bin Laden to do real harm in the name of real good. In other words, once you've accepted this logic, the end of the circle is quite the opposite from where you started; 'good' is 'evil' and evil is, well...what? That's where Chomsky also typically leaves off. Deferring to the United Nations and "the opinions of the majority of the US population", Chomsky argues, should be the focus of American presidents--even if types like Hitler, Stalin or, yes, Osama bin Laden expressly would not either. America's only hope for world peace, therefore, is the peace of blissful self-satisfaction as we gaze into the mirror, cleansed from all pretence of 'good', humble, powerless and deferential to other states (or non-states) who simply might not bother to do the same... That's a big 'IF' on the part of any responsible state apparatus or government. But that is ultimately what the Professor insists the United States must accomplish (and please forgive the logical contradiction here): to be a 'successful state' America must be a failed one.

limiting government power vs people's power
For the most part of civilizations, nearly all governments in all nations claimed universal rights though in somewhat different manners. But America is the very first of nations to get rid of overextended government power successfully. Instead, an elected government has become a new way of life. Even so, this elected government can go wrong from time to time.

Professor Chomsky shows that this has been the case with the American government especially of the late. He is highly critical of this dangerous trend. But at the same time, one must admit that America is still fortunate to embrace an elected system, despite all the imperfections. This is something many nations like China trying to do in a hurry. But even arriving at this stage of game is easier said than done. This deep issue is explored by another book: China's global reach: markets, multinationals, and globalization, which tells how a Self-appointed Government leads to hellish problems, among other things. Reading both books makes one appreciate more about the need to limit the power of government, here or elsewhere. Making government accountable is a long process even in Western nations.