Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy | 
| Author: Noam Chomsky
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  95 reviews
Sales Rank: 9831
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1
ISBN: 0805082840
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.730090511
EAN: 9780805082845
ASIN: 0805082840
Publication Date: April 3, 2007
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Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! Has a publisher remainder mark. First Edition. 2007 Paperback.
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Product Description
“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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| Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...
American foreign policy is the pits June 30, 2008
Ever since learning about Ron Paul last January, my interest in politics, especially those of the libertarian position, have increased approximately 800%. I considered myself a libertarian a good year before learning about him and his campaign but once I got into his message and delved deeper into the foreign policies of the likes of McCain, Obama, Hillary, and past figures such as Reagan and Bill Clinton, I was revolutionized and cured of any and all political apathy I had. Of course my libertarian views don't just rest on foreign policy, but it is a large part of my concern.
So though I generally do not agree with Noam Chomsky on economics and private property, I understand where he's coming from and I know he means well; I generally agree with the rest of his views, including his foreign policy views which are similar to Ron Paul inasmuch as he views the United States' arrogance with nation-building and intervention as a key problem in the world today. This is actually the first Chomsky book I have read and will not be the last. Presented almost in the manner of an extended thesis paper (quotes and citations are in the thousands in this book), it makes for a stimulated if occasionally dry read as Chomsky begins by dissecting America's interventionist "democracy promoting" policies in Iraq, Vietnam, and elsewhere as well as our supreme hypocrisy with propping up brutal regimes in places such as Indochina and elsewhere. He mentions that as conflicts such as the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia raged, brutal dictators elsewhere were left unscathed, as our economic and resource interests lay abound with the support of many of these brutal regime. Chomsky proves in a very academic sense how few (and possibly none) of our foreign policy intrusions since Woodrow Wilson (and dating back to John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson) have been for much more than empire-building, resource claiming, and the removal and/or propping-up of dictators who are against our interests (in the former's case) and who will be an aid to our interests (in the latter).
Though I found Chomsky to be somewhat of a dry writer (like I said, the book assumes you have a vast knowledge of American foreign policy history past and present), he is brilliant. When I say dry I mean that it is very clinical and not written in a way that might grab the average reader, but for readers like myself with an attention span and an interest in the subject it is a blast to read. I found myself marking pages and highlighting a lot so I could go back and do further research upon completion.
In short, this is an excellent read for anyone curious about America's disastrous and insanely hypocritical and arrogant policies towards our fellow nations. Neocon republicans (and some Democrats who worship the likes of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama) will be brought to rage by its brutal honesty, but in the end will not be able to intelligently refute any of it. Highly recommended.
Classic Chomsky June 28, 2008
Any seasoned Chomsky fan will find much to chew on in this book. Same strident tone, dry humour, deft wit, and outrageous sarcasm as always. Failed States applies the the paradigm that US policy wonks have created for assessing our official enemies and applies it to ourselves. As Chomsky says, "it is a moral truism that we apply to ourselves the standards we apply to others." Not surprisingly, Chomsky finds that the US is a failed state with a democratic deficit and a notorious habit of illegal interventions.
This book is reminiscent of Rogue States, where Chomsky used the then de rigour foreign policy parlance and, once again, found that the US would qualify as the worlds largest and most powerful rogue state.
The book contains tremendous overlap with other books Chomsky has written. It also is maddeningly written in a non-chronological, course, repetitive manner. This is par the course for Chomsky books. Does this mean I think the book to be worthless? On the contrary, my whole political education is little more than a series of footnotes to Chomsky books. The rewards of reading Chomsky's work are stupendous. I am simply warning the reader to be open minded, intrepid, and pedantic when reading Chomsky. It is not always easy.
Topics covered include:
Iran
Iraq
Middle East
Katrina
Science being attacked
 Regular Chomsky Polemic April 18, 2008
If you are a fan of Noam Chomsky and familiar with his views, ideas and past writings, then there is nothing new to be found in this book. While the title provides a background theme, it's barely connected in a cohesive way to its content. But then again, that's most of Chomsky's books.
Of course if you are not familiar with Chomsky's work of the past, including his views, then this will be a new material, unfortunately lacking in depth. Hence, most new readers are unlikely to be convinced by this latest polemic.
Chomsky dedicates most of the book going through his regular mantra, from Vietnam War, US terrorism against Cuba under Kennedy, Reagan's war on terror in Central America, Bush's and Clinton's subversion of Haiti, Persian Gulf War, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, current Iraq War and the possibility of Iran War. That's of course nothing new given nearly identical sentiments expressed in all of his previous works, including "Hegemony or Survival". What's perhaps slightly original is what he discusses towards the end of the book: America's democracy. He makes a rather brief but convincing case that our democracy is in danger, much as it has been in the past, but with renewed intensity, particularly beginning during the 2000 elections. He discusses the marketing of candidates (which he properly compares to marketing of toothpaste, cars, etc.), public policy vs. public opinion, where there is a major gap, and provides some basic statistics about the falling wages, rising corporate profits and etc.
What's perhaps most unique about this work is the added sense of sharp, sarcastic humor one would expect of a top notch political humorist (Bill Maher, John Stewart come to mind), which provides an amusing side to a book which is supposed to be sad. Sometimes this humor is even hard to follow and detect, but once one accustoms to finding it, it results in an almost outright laughter, not to mention that it arms the reader with a plethora of quotes he/she can use in the future.
Overall, it's a good read to refresh one's memories of America's atrocious foreign policy, which is sad. On the contrary, it's a fun read due to Chomsky's hidden but witty humor. However, don't expect anything new, deep or analytical. This is neither a historical nor a scholarly work.
 outstanding April 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
so, i'm writing a review of a book by noam chomsky? presumptuous of me ... well, failed states summarizes chomsky's beliefs regarding failures of our democracy, mostly international but a few domestic failings as well. one gets the distinct feeling that he writes not just with facts at his fingertips, but with great passion about the topic. while he presents a strongly cynical perspective of our political system, it seems that chomsky holds great respect for the original principles of democracy espoused in the constitution. i did not find one grammatical or typographical error. i found one logical error in which he incorrectly made a conclusion based on incorrect statistical methodology. overall, this is another brilliant work by one of the true geniuses in this area. i hope that more people read this work and are driven to assume democratic action. we'll see ... at any rate, this book is worth twice the "new" price, at least. excellent resource and excellent motivational book.
The day(s) the music died in America February 4, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
By any modern definition of a "failed state" we are it. That's the take-away message from Chomsky's clear-eyed look at turn-of-the-21st Century America. If you don't read Chomsky the chances are good that you don't understand politics in this country or the world. It isn't necessary to agree with him to come away profoundly stirred by his incisive analysis. And if he's right, we're in very deep trouble.
I read this book when it was first released, almost two years ago, and I have seen nothing on the national or international level to make me think that Chomsky is even a little bit wrong.
We're in very deep trouble. But at least, through thinkers like this author, we can gain some insight about why the dream failed.
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