Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #796113 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 233 pages

Review
'Judged in terms of the power, range, novelty, and influence of his thought, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive.' New York Times Book Review 'One of the radical heroes of our age... A towering intellect... Powerful, always provocative.' Guardian 'Our greatest unraveller of accredited lies.' New Statesman 'An exploder of received truths.' New York Times 'On the one hand we have the established media, the respectable community of foreign affairs analysts, the government--and on the other, Noam Chomsky.' The Nation 'Thank God for Noam Chomsky.' Robert Fisk, The Independent

About the Author
Noam Chomsky is a world renowned linguist and one of America's foremost social critics. He is Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of numerous books, including FatefulTriangle; The New Military Humanism: Lessons from Kosovo and Rogue States: The Rule of Force in World Affairs.

Customer Reviews

Free press; controlled minds
Chomsky starts with the premise that the United States has fewer restrictions on its press than any other contry in the world. At the same time, it has the most effective system in the world for restricting what its citizens think.

Focusing on the Israel-Palestine dispute (but with forays as far abroad as Hiroshima, Guatemala, Afghanistan, and--most relevantly for today--Iraq), Chomsky proves over and over again that the US version of terrorism is completely one sided. After all, he argues, it is the US that has killed more civilians in more attempts to influence enemies through terror than any other country.

Chomsky gives short shrift to those who argue endlessly over the legal meaning of various UN Resolutions to determine what the legalities are of various conflicts. Applying his philosophical theories to politics, Chomsky says that words mean exactly what those with the power to act say they mean, nothing more and nothing less.

Chomsky's bottom line is that if the US really wants to combat terrorism, the first thing we ought to do is stop practicing it, and stop supporting others who do so.

Chomsky certainly has a point of view that one hears all too infrequently in this country. My main criticism is that the book repeats the same examples several times in different chapters to make the same point. This results from the fact that the book is actually a loosely connected series of essays and talks, not originally wirtten at the same time, let alone with a book in mind.

A critical analysis of America's role in the Middle East
Now in a newly updated edition, Pirates And Emperors, Old And New: International Terrorism In The Real World by Noam Chomsky (an internationally acclaimed philosopher, scholar, and political activist). Chomsky's critical analysis of America's role in the Middle East and how the media tends to manipulate the beliefs of the public is presented with the addition of new chapters focusing upon the second Palestinian Intifada which began in October 2000, as well as the harsh impact that September 11 has had on the formation and conduct of American foreign policy. Pirates And Emperors, Old And New is a very highly recommended and timely addition to Contemporary International Studies reading lists and reference collections.

The truth is not for sale
I am someone who actually worked on this book when it was published years ago. When I read the manuscript in preparation for publication, I was thrilled. Unlike the Zionist critics, or those afraid to see the world as it is, I was not afraid of the damning analysis of my country and of my ethnic breatheren. Though I may be a Jew, I do not not hold with Zionism and its hatreds. I love this book. We should be thankful that Chomsky stands where does, shoots for the truth, and challenges us to lay down our biases while on the joureny to enlightenment.