Pirates and emperors, old and new : international terrorism in the real world

This updated edition of Noam Chomsky's classic dis-section of terrorism explores the role of the U.S. in the Middle East, and reveals how the media manipulates -public opinion about what constitutes "terrorism."This edition includes new chapters covering the second Palestinian intifada that began in October 2000; an analysis of the impact of September 11 on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; a deconstruction of depictions and perceptions of terrorism since that date; as well as the original sections on Iran and the U.S. bombing of Libya.Chomsky starts by tracing the changing meaning of "terrorism," examining how it originally referred to violent acts by "governments designed to ensure popular submission." He calls its current application "retail terrorism," practiced by "thieves who molest the powerful." Chomsky argues that appreciating the differences between state terror and nongovernmental terror is crucial to stopping terrorism, and understanding why atrocities like the bombing of the World Trade Center happen.In comparing the "war on terror" launched by George W. Bush to that of his father and Ronald Reagan's administrations, Chomsky recalls Winston Churchill's summation of the terror by the powerful: "The rich and powerful have every right to demand that they be left in peace to enjoy what they have gained, often by violence and terror; the rest can be ignored as long as they suffer in silence, but if they interfere with the lives of those who rule the world by right, the 'terrors of the earth' will be visited upon them with righteous wrath, unless power is constrained from within."Pirates and Emperors is a brilliant account of the workings of state terrorism by the world's foremost critic of U.S. imperialism. An internationally acclaimed philosopher, linguist, and political activist, Noam Chomsky teaches at MIT. This updated edition of Noam Chomskys classic dis-section of terrorism explores the role of the U.S. in the Middle East, and reveals how the media manipulates -public opinion about what constitutes "terrorism." This edition includes new chapters covering the second Palestinian intifada that began in October 2000; an analysis of the impact of September 11 on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; a deconstruction of depictions and perceptions of terrorism since that date; as well as the original sections on Iran and the U.S. bombing of Libya. Chomsky starts by tracing the changing meaning of "terrorism," examining how it originally referred to violent acts by "governments designed to ensure popular submission." He calls its current application "retail terrorism," practiced by "thieves who molest the powerful." Chomsky argues that appreciating the differences between state terror and nongovernmental terror is crucial to stopping terrorism, and understanding why atrocities like the bombing of the World Trade Center happen. In comparing the "war on terror" launched by George W. Bush to that of his father and Ronald Reagans administrations, Chomsky recalls Winston Churchills summation of the terror by the "The rich and powerful have every right to demand that they be left in peace to enjoy what they have gained, often by violence and terror; the rest can be ignored as long as they suffer in silence, but if they interfere with the lives of those who rule the world by right, the terrors of the earth will be visited upon them with righteous wrath, unless power is constrained from within." Pirates and Emperors is a brilliant account of the workings of state terrorism by the worlds foremost critic of U.S. imperialism. An internationally acclaimed philosopher, linguist, and political activist, Noam Chomsky teaches at MIT. I was very surprised to see that some people (few as they were) bashing Chomsky for Pirates and Emperors. UNsurprisingly, though, their attacks carry only the usual Fox-news-Ann-Coulter-Mark-Levin "you're anti-american and anti-semitic", with complete (intentional) disregard of the myriad of uncontroversial (just inconvenient) facts that Chomsky presents. This book is about 240 pages, the last 60 of which are footnotes. I have verified about 20% of them, and couldn't find a single untrustworthy source. It is no surprise that the attacks levelled at Chomsky are all ad-hominom, given the fact that he rarely expresses his opinion, but simply states facts and quotes, and leaves you to draw your own conclusions. This is a man who comes from a scientific background and knows how to present a FORMAL argument, without falling in the usual logical fallacies intended to appeal to people's emotions. Not only are these attacks baseless, but they're also self-contradicting. The VAST majority of his sources are, in fact, American and Israeli sources (American presidents and newspapers, Israeli politicians and journals, etc). It is simply mind-blowing that these attackers can't see the fallacy of their own arguments (or do they?). This book is over 20 years old now, but is still as relevant as it ever was. Definitely a recommended read. "We will understand very little about the world if we neglect the relevant historical context, commonly ignored or suppressed in the official doctrine." Pirates and Emperors, page 111. "This work deals exclusively with terrorism, both State and retail, with special attention to the scandal surrounding the Iranian arms deal. With meticulous research and documentation, Chomsky demonstrates the true motifs of U.S. foreign policy and the role of the media in ensuring public ignorance of these motifs. He looks behind the rhetoric for a real and comprehensive view of the role of the U.S. government, giving special attention to the disinformation campaign surrounding the bombing of Libya."--Jacket. An updated edition of the author's discussion of terrorism includes new chapters covering the second Palestinian Intifada and a discussion of the impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. foreign policy. St. Augustine tells the story of a pirate captured by Alexander the Great, who asked him "how he dares molest the sea."