In this book, Noam Chomsky presents a view of American foreign policy over the ages, developing a very widespread theory that is clearly presented in the first chapter's title "Imperial Grand Strategy". In fact, he explains how the US, especially since the beginning of the 21st century in the context of the Iraq war, is trying to maintain its global dominance over other countries.
The Bush administration, following a strategy that has already been implemented from the post war period, wants to make the world become unipolar, where the US is the only nation that is able to make all the decisions without facing any competition. A very interesting quote made by Chomsky to back up his thesis belongs to the Wilsonian idealist foreign policy relying on "the imperative of America's mission as the vanguard of history, transforming the global order and, in doing so, perpetuating its own dominance".
[...] Talking about supporting American foreign policy, I do also think, and this is another critical component of the formulation of such a policy, that the American people should also be informed by the administration on the one hand of the actions that are going to be taken by polling them for instance, and on the other hand of the results of such actions whether they are reported in books or in newspaper. These are two main issues that remain fundamental for the officials in power. [...]
[...] Besides this policy, there remains another one that lies in the fact that the US is constantly seeking new countries to occupy in order to install what it thinks would be the best regime for the local people. Americans consider industrializing countries as delinquent entities and are persuaded that it is its duty is to rule them. They do not want any nationalist regimes to take power in such areas (Latin America); it is better to have fascists than communists, because they bring order, which is not only good for the US government, but also for US investors, when looking for a world dominated by the US economy. [...]
[...] On the one hand, the US can follow its current policy, seeking constantly for hegemony, but on the other hand it could also offer possibilities for another world, and Chomsky thinks that it is not too late to do so. II) Review section The US has a very long and colored history in terms of interventionism abroad trying either to promote its vision of the world's order or impose it on other nations. Noam Chomsky, whose book has been strongly recommended by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a meeting at the UN, gives us his own opinion about American foreign policy, strongly criticizing it using the several examples during the post WW II period. [...]
[...] This is hard to contradict the author or to think the other way when you realize that none of the evidence that were displayed and evocated by the officials did legitimize the attacks in Grenada, or lately in Iraq for instance. The first case illustrates another theory that we saw in class with a speaker from the National Defense University (Mr. Cheeks) according to which what is called national security is not only related to the potential attacks coming from this dangerous anti-American world, but refers also to the human beings' security in terms of human rights or even living conditions, especially on the US soil. [...]
[...] On the other hand Castro remained supported by his own people, but the US, as a republic and as a democracy, was supposed to know better what is right or wrong for the people. Maybe the US was waiting for something else to happen in Cuba I think so. Most of the time this ideal of democracy is a mere pretext to intervene in the targeted country in order to install a pro-US regime and reshape the world's order according US criteria. [...]
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