Noam Chomsky

An intimate conversation between towering public intellectuals examining the contentious interplay between the Cuban Revolution and U. S. empire An audacious revolutionary experiment in the backyard of empire, Cuba has occupied a vexed role in the international order for decades. Though its doctors (and fighters)—and the outsized influence of its example—have traversed the globe, from Venezuela to Angola, its political and economic future remain uncertain as the Castro era comes to a close and the U. S. embargo proceeds unabated. Through an intimate conversation between two of the country’s most astute observers of international politics, Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad, On Cuba traces Cuban history from the early days of the 1950s revolution to the present, interrogating U. S. interventions and extracting lessons on U. S. power and influence in the Western Hemisphere along the way. Neither a jingoistic condemnation nor an uncritical celebration, Chomsky’s heterodox approach to world affairs is on full display as he and Prashad grapple with Cuba’s unique place on the international scene. In a media landscape saturated with half-truths and fake news, Chomsky and Prashad—“our own Frantz Fanon . . . [whose] writing of protest is always tinged with the beauty of hope” (Amitava Kumar, author of Immigrant, Montana)—seek to shed light on the truth of a complex and perennially controversial nation, while examining the limits of mainstream media discourse.

‘One of the greatest, most radical public thinkers of our time’ ARUNDHATI ROY An accessible, powerful overview of Noam Chomsky's political thoughtIn sixteen extended talks with Alternative Radio's David Barsamian, Noam Chomsky explains:Why the 'war on drugs' is really a war on poor people. How attacks on political correctness are attacks on independent thought. How historical revisionism has recast the United States as the victim in the Vietnam War. Widely recognized as one of the most original and important thinkers of our age, Chomsky's trenchant analysis of current events is a breath of fresh air in a world more and more polluted by mainstream media.

How the World Works is a collection of speeches and interviews. It includes What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Reward, the Restless Many; Secrets, Lies and Democracy and The Common Good.

A detailed and compelling political study of how elite forces shape mass media. Edward S Herman and Noam Chomsky investigate how an underlying elite consensus structures mainstream media. Here they skilfully dissect the way in which the marketplace and the economics of publishing significantly shape the news. This book reveals how issues are framed and topics chosen, and the double standards underlying accounts of free elections, a free press, and governmental repression between Nicaragua and El Salvador; between the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the American invasion of Vietnam; between the genocide in Cambodia under a pro-American government and genocide under Pol Pot. What emerges from this ground-breaking work is an account of just how propagandistic our mass media can be, and how we can learn to read them and see their function in a radically new way.

The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the incisive critiques of U. S. power that have made Noam Chomsky a “global phenomenon,” one of the most widely known public intellectuals of all time. Surveying the history of U. S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and his co-author Nathan J. Robinson vividly trace the way the American pursuit of global domination has wrought havoc in country after country – without, ironically, making Americans any safer. And they explore how dominant elites in the United States have pushed self-serving myths about this country’s commitment to “spreading democracy,” while pursuing a reckless foreign policy that served the interest of few and endangered all too many. Chomsky and Robinson range across the globe, offering penetrating accounts of Washington’s relationship with the Global South, its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan –all justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and the benevolent intentions of American policy makers. The same kinds of myths that have led to repeated disastrous wars, they argue, are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China that imperil humanity’s future. Examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U. S. policies are continuing to exacerbate global threats. For well over half a century, Noam Chomsky has committed himself to exposing governing ideologies and criticizing his country’s unchecked use of military power. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to the conclusions he has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism.

Two world-renowned figures of contemporary politics come together to debate alternatives for the future: José "Pepe" Mujica, former President of Uruguay and an ex-guerrilla who acquired an international following for his message of sustainability and common sense, and Noam Chomsky, who revolutionized linguistics and has become a beacon for radical thinking around the world. From the meeting of these peerless figures emerge reflections on the major global issues of our time: climate change, corruption, populism, the crisis of capitalism, and the logic of the market economy, among many others. Speaking especially to younger generations who inherited an unstable world, Chomsky and Mujica emphasize the values required to survive the challenges of the twenty-first century and to build a new world: democracy, freedom, humility, and friendship. Brought together by Mexican activist Saúl Alvídrez, Chomsky and Mujica offer a wise and passionate guide to salvaging the future.

Una advertencia sobre la amenaza que el poder de EE. UU representa para el futuro y los mitos nacionales que lo respaldan. El mito del idealismo americano ofrece una introducci n oportuna y exhaustiva a las incisivas cr ticas del poder estadounidense que han convertido a Noam Chomsky en un "fen meno global," uno de los intelectuales p blicos m s importantes de todos los tiempos. Examinando la historia de la actividad militar y econ mica de EE. UU. en todo el mundo, Chomsky y Nathan J. Robinson analizan v vidamente c mo la b squeda estadounidense de la dominaci n global ha causado estragos pa s tras pa s, sin, ir nicamente, hacer a sus ciudadanos m s seguros. Adem s, exploran c mo las lites dominantes han promovido mitos interesados sobre el compromiso del pa s con "la difusi n de la democracia," mientras persiguen una pol tica exterior imprudente que beneficia a unos pocos y pone en peligro a muchos. Examinando la proliferaci n nuclear y el cambio clim tico, muestran c mo las pol ticas estadounidenses siguen exacerbando las amenazas globales. A la vez exhaustivo y devastador, urgente y provocador, El mito del idealismo americano brinda una entrada altamente legible a las conclusiones a las que ha llegado despu s de toda una vida de reflexi n y activismo. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION A warning about the threat posed by U. S. power to the future--and the national myths that sustain it. The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the sharp critiques of U. S. power that have made Noam Chomsky a "global phenomenon," one of the most important public intellectuals of all time. Examining the history of U. S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and Nathan J. Robinson vividly analyze how America's pursuit of global dominance has wreaked havoc country after country--without, ironically, making its own citizens any safer. They also explore how ruling elites have promoted self-serving myths about the country's commitment to "spreading democracy," while pursuing a reckless foreign policy that benefits the few and endangers the many. By examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U. S. policies continue to exacerbate global threats. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry point into the conclusions Chomsky has reached after a lifetime of reflection and activism.

A mathematical formalization of Chomsky's theory of Merge in generative linguistics. The Minimalist Program advanced by Noam Chomsky thirty years ago, focusing on the biological nature of human language, has played a central role in our modern understanding of syntax. One key to this program is the notion that the hierarchical structure of human language syntax consists of a single operation Merge. For the first time, Mathematical Structure of Syntactic Merge presents a complete and precise mathematical formalization of Chomsky's most recent theory of Merge. It both furnishes a new way to explore Merge's important linguistic implications clearly while also laying to rest any fears that the Minimalist framework based on Merge might itself prove to be formally incoherent. In this book, Matilde Marcolli, Noam Chomsky, and Robert C. Berwick prove that Merge can be described as a very particular kind of highly structured algebra. Additionally, the book shows how Merge can be placed within a consistent framework that includes both a syntactic-semantic interface that realizes Chomsky's notion of a conceptual-intentional interface, and an externalization system that realizes language-specific constraints. The syntax-semantics interface encompasses many current semantical theories and offers deep insights into the ways that modern "large language models" work, proving that these do not undermine in any way the scientific theories of language based on generative grammar.

In this work, Chomsky explores the West’s uses and abuses of the principle of "human intervention." An updated foreword by Jean Bricmont explores the ongoing crises of humanitarian intervention in Afghanistan, Libya, Palestine, Syria, and Ukraine and reaffirms Chomsky’s excoriating critiques of Western foreign policy. Chomsky dissects the meaning and uses of humanitarian intervention grounded in the so-called "right to protect" (R2P). In doing so, Chomsky demonstrates how the principle of human intervention has been used as an instrument to justify military intervention in support of Western foreign policy aims. Through detailed case studies of the humanitarian intervention in East Timor and Kosovo, Chomsky also highlights how "humanitarian intervention" often leads to further atrocities and egregious abuses of human rights. As the question of humanitarian intervention looms ever larger, particularly with regard to the Middle East and Eastern Europe, this book is a vital overview of humanitarian intervention and its uses and abuses.

In this pertinent book, Noam Chomsky examines the imbalanced dynamics of international power relations and the use of state terror by the United States and other Western powers in the Middle East in the post-9/11 era. This edition features new forewords by Fred Branfman and Chris Hedges reasserting the enduring importance of Chomsky’s work and extending Chomsky’s analysis to recent developments in the Middle East. Chomsky explores international relations since World War II to demonstrate that contemporary acts of terrorism cannot be understood outside the context of Western power and state terror throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East. In doing so, Chomsky demonstrates that state terror is intrinsic to U. S. foreign policy and fundamental in the maintenance of Western hegemony throughout the so-called War on Terror, including throughout the Obama administration. This new edition offers a vital critique of U. S. foreign policy and its reliance on acts of terror to maintain its hegemony in the Middle East. It will therefore be vital reading for those who wish to understand the grim realities of Western foreign policy.

In this pertinent book, Noam Chomsky examines the imbalanced dynamics of international power relations and the use of state terror by the United States and other Western powers in the Middle East in the post-9/11 era. This edition features new forewords by Fred Branfman and Chris Hedges reasserting the enduring importance of Chomsky’s work and extending Chomsky’s analysis to recent developments in the Middle East. Chomsky explores international relations since World War II to demonstrate that contemporary acts of terrorism cannot be understood outside the context of Western power and state terror throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East. In doing so, Chomsky demonstrates that state terror is intrinsic to U. S. foreign policy and fundamental in the maintenance of Western hegemony throughout the so-called War on Terror, including throughout the Obama administration. This new edition offers a vital critique of U. S. foreign policy and its reliance on acts of terror to maintain its hegemony in the Middle East. It will therefore be vital reading for those who wish to understand the grim realities of Western foreign policy.

In this work, Chomsky explores the West’s uses and abuses of the principle of "human intervention." An updated foreword by Jean Bricmont explores the ongoing crises of humanitarian intervention in Afghanistan, Libya, Palestine, Syria, and Ukraine and reaffirms Chomsky’s excoriating critiques of Western foreign policy. Chomsky dissects the meaning and uses of humanitarian intervention grounded in the so-called "right to protect" (R2P). In doing so, Chomsky demonstrates how the principle of human intervention has been used as an instrument to justify military intervention in support of Western foreign policy aims. Through detailed case studies of the humanitarian intervention in East Timor and Kosovo, Chomsky also highlights how "humanitarian intervention" often leads to further atrocities and egregious abuses of human rights. As the question of humanitarian intervention looms ever larger, particularly with regard to the Middle East and Eastern Europe, this book is a vital overview of humanitarian intervention and its uses and abuses.

A series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, the world's greatest living public intellectual, about the pressing issues of our time'One of the greatest, most radical public thinkers of our time’ Arundhati RoyIn this illuminating collection of interviews, Noam Chomsky shares his insights on the pressing challenges facing humanity. A Liveable Future is Possible addresses artificial intelligence and the potential for such programs to surpass humans in cognitive awareness; what lies ahead for a world engulfed in a deadly climate crisis; the rise of neo-fascism internationally, and why we should organize across borders to confront it and the striking similarities between Trump and Biden's foreign policies. Noam Chomsky has been an incomparable model of moral clarity and intellectual courage during his many decades as a scholar, political activist and social critic. A Liveable Future Is Possible is not only an urgent and informative book, it is a call-to-action for those hoping to help carry the torch of one of history’s greatest minds.‘Chomsky is a global phenomenon . . . he may be the most widely read American voice on foreign policy on the planet’ The New York Times Book Review

A sweeping yet penetrating collection of interviews with Noam Chomsky, exploring the most pressing global concerns of our time. In these illuminating interviews conductedby C. J. Polychroniou, Noam Chomsky yet again shares his brilliant insights on an array of struggles and challenges facing humanity. A Livable Future Is Possible addresses artificial intelligence and the potential for such programs to surpass humans in cognitive awareness; what lies ahead for a world engulfed in a deadly climate crisis; the rise of neo-fascism internationally, and why we should organize across borders to confront it; the striking similarities between Trump and Biden's foreign policies; and a number of other critical issues gripping the planet. Noam Chomsky has been an incomparable model of moral clarity and intellectual courage during his many decades as a scholar and critic. He is the most cited living scholar. One would be hard-pressed to find a more influential voice than Chomsky’s in the West. A Livable Future Is Possible is not only an urgent and informative resource, it is a call-to-action for those hoping to help carry the torch of one of history’s greatest minds.

A sweeping yet penetrating collection of interviews with Noam Chomsky, exploring the most pressing global concerns of our time. In these illuminating interviews conductedby C. J. Polychroniou, Noam Chomsky yet again shares his brilliant insights on an array of struggles and challenges facing humanity. A Livable Future Is Possible addresses artificial intelligence and the potential for such programs to surpass humans in cognitive awareness; what lies ahead for a world engulfed in a deadly climate crisis; the rise of neo-fascism internationally, and why we should organize across borders to confront it; the striking similarities between Trump and Biden's foreign policies; and a number of other critical issues gripping the planet. Noam Chomsky has been an incomparable model of moral clarity and intellectual courage during his many decades as a scholar and critic. He is the most cited living scholar. One would be hard-pressed to find a more influential voice than Chomsky’s in the West. A Livable Future Is Possible is not only an urgent and informative resource, it is a call-to-action for those hoping to help carry the torch of one of history’s greatest minds.

'One of the greatest, most radical public thinkers of our time. When the sun sets on the American empire, as it will, as it must, Noam Chomsky's work will survive' Arundhati RoyFrom one of the world’s most prominent thinkers comes an urgent warning of the threat that US power poses to humanity’s futureThe land of the free. The home of the brave. But what has America achieved in the aim of ‘spreading democracy’ — except wreak havoc across the globe and establish a reckless foreign policy that serves the interest of few and has endangered all too many? In this timely book, Noam Chomsky writing with Nathan J. Robinson, vividly traces America’s pursuit of global domination, offering an incisive critique of the self-serving myths that dominant elites in the United States continue to push. Offering penetrating accounts of Washington’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they examine how interventions such as these have been justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and benevolent intentions but are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to the conclusions Noam Chomsky has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism.'The west's most prominent critic of US imperialism . . . the closest thing in the English-speaking world to an intellectual superstar' Guardian

"For anyone wanting to find out more about the world we live in . . . there is one simple answer: read Noam Chomsky." --The New Statesman From one of the world's most prominent thinkers comes an urgent warning of the threat that U. S. power poses to humanity's future as well as a sharp indictment of both American foreign policy and the national myths that support it. The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the incisive critiques of U. S. power that have made Noam Chomsky a "global phenomenon," one of the most widely known public intellectuals of all time. Surveying the history of U. S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and his co-author Nathan J. Robinson vividly trace the way the American pursuit of global domination has wrought havoc in country after country - without, ironically, making Americans any safer. And they explore how dominant elites in the United States have pushed self-serving myths about this country's commitment to "spreading democracy," while pursuing a reckless foreign policy that served the interest of few and endangered all too many. Chomsky and Robinson range across the globe, offering penetrating accounts of Washington's relationship with the Global South, its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -all justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and the benevolent intentions of American policy makers. The same kinds of myths that have led to repeated disastrous wars, they argue, are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China that imperil humanity's future. Examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U. S. policies are continuing to exacerbate global threats. For well over half a century, Noam Chomsky has committed himself to exposing governing ideologies and criticizing his country's unchecked use of military power. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to the conclusions he has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism.