Hegemony or Survival
Noam Chomsky is a vocal critic of the post-World War II American foreign policy. He talks about the policies of various American governments since WW II to dominate the world, even at the cost of putting the world in danger. America’s immediate and long-term goal is to control the world and its resources for its benefit. In the book “Hegemony or Survival – America’s Quest for Global Dominance” Chomsky writes how the United States seeks to maintain unchallenged authority over the world and its resources, regardless of the long-term consequences.
The author presents substantial documents and facts about American foreign policy of the last century, how it came into being, and how it continues with a singular aim to dominate world affairs. From orchestrating coups in Latin America to supporting dictators in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, he contends that much of the global unrest and civil conflict over the last century has been a direct or indirect result of American interference.
Chomsky cites many examples where America has completely disregarded the international organization’s authority, be it the United Nations or the International Human Rights Body. The US is the only country that has vetoed the greatest number of the resolutions in the UN, mostly peace resolutions. The War on Iraq is a prime example of America’s bullying just to prove that they can do whatever they wish in whichever country they want. Despite no concrete information on Iraq having any weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), it went to war with Iraq.
The author documents how America has supported despots and dictators in various parts of the world for the benefit of its business or for the natural resources of that country. Chomsky writes about the war on “terrorism”. A US Army manual defined terrorism as “the calculated use of violence or threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious, or ideological in nature…. through intimidation, coercion, or instilling fear.” He says that the official definition of terrorism is the same as counterterror. So, terrorism by the US becomes counterterror.
Chomsky discusses Iraq, Israel, terrorism, and the US policies of gaining control of the world by increasing its own nuclear and space powers while restricting other countries from doing the same in the name of non-proliferation. The author argues that in the quest for global dominance, America has two options: hegemony or the survival of the world, and unfortunately, America has chosen hegemony.
A must-read book for anyone who wants to know and understand America’s foreign policies and what they entail. It is a difficult, depressing yet important read to understand how America has ruined many countries and caused so many deaths around the world by its unnecessary interference to prove its dominance.
About The Author
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes described as “the father of modern linguistics”, Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy, and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He has spent more than half a century at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is Institute Professor Emeritus, and is the author of over 100 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism.