An American Addiction

by Noam Chomsky

Colombia is now the 3rd largest recipient of US foreign & military aid, the justification for which is the War on Drugs. In a clear, concise and sometimes bitterly funny lecture, Noam Chomsky shows us who is getting the money, who is producing and exporting the drugs, and what the war on the ground is really about. In the ongoing debate over whether Colombia will become the 'next Vietnam,' Chomsky's analysis will provide a great introduction to the Colombian elite, the role of the US media, how 'development' works. Imagine Traffic starring Chomsky instead of Michael Douglas.

Noam Chomsky teaches at MIT and lives in Boston.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook, History, Philosophy, War

52 pages, Audio CD

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "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 is a laureate professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona and an institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Among the most cited living authors, Chomsky has written more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, and politics. In addition to his work in linguistics, since the 1960s Chomsky has been an influential voice on the American left as a consistent critic of U.S. foreign policy, contemporary capitalism, and corporate influence on political institutions and the media.
Born to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants (his father was William Chomsky) in Philadelphia, Chomsky developed an early interest in anarchism from alternative bookstores in New York City. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania. During his postgraduate work in the Harvard Society of Fellows, Chomsky developed the theory of transformational grammar for which he earned his doctorate in 1955. That year he began teaching at MIT, and in 1957 emerged as a significant figure in linguistics with his landmark work Syntactic Structures, which played a major role in remodeling the study of language. From 1958 to 1959 Chomsky was a National Science Foundation fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. He created or co-created the universal grammar theory, the generative grammar theory, the Chomsky hierarchy, and the minimalist program. Chomsky also played a pivotal role in the decline of linguistic behaviorism, and was particularly critical of the work of B.F. Skinner.
An outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which he saw as an act of American imperialism, in 1967 Chomsky rose to national attention for his anti-war essay "The Responsibility of Intellectuals". Becoming associated with the New Left, he was arrested multiple times for his activism and placed on President Richard M. Nixon's list of political opponents. While expanding his work in linguistics over subsequent decades, he also became involved in the linguistics wars. In collaboration with Edward S. Herman, Chomsky later articulated the propaganda model of media criticism in Manufacturing Consent, and worked to expose the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. His defense of unconditional freedom of speech, including that of Holocaust denial, generated significant controversy in the Faurisson affair of the 1980s. Chomsky's commentary on the Cambodian genocide and the Bosnian genocide also generated controversy. Since retiring from active teaching at MIT, he has continued his vocal political activism, including opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and supporting the Occupy movement. An anti-Zionist, Chomsky considers Israel's treatment of Palestinians to be worse than South African–style apartheid, and criticizes U.S. support for Israel.
Chomsky is widely recognized as having helped to spark the cognitive revolution in the human sciences, contributing to the development of a new cognitivistic framework for the study of language and the mind. Chomsky remains a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, contemporary capitalism, U.S. involvement and Israel's role in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and mass media. Chomsky and his ideas are highly influential in the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements. Since 2017, he has been Agnese Helms Haury Chair in the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona.

Reviews

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, he says that Americans do not want to solve the Drug problem because that gives them the right to intervene in Latin America. The main argument is around alternative cultivation programs that even the so-called Drug Guerillas have asked for but USAID is not funding. Well, he is pragmatic up to a point must admit, he just refuses to accept that we are living in a capitalistic world governed by Consequentialism morality. Nevertheless, he is always a good read, for us, the romantic utopianists :)

[Chapters by Zazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

audiobook

[Tadas Talaikis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some from American Newspeak:

* "Positive outlook" = mass killings
* "Forward looking" = mass murderer
* "Terrorist" = anyone around suspect
* "Food for peace" = destroying farmers
Etc.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Narco-trafficking is part of the elite culture in Colombia, the DEA, Drug Enforcement Agency's major report about a year ago on which they pointed out that at every level of the Colombian government there's full, direct and extensive involvement in narco-trafficking, that includes the military."
Noam Chomsky

[Siddharth Khadiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

An American Addiction is a short audio book by Noam Chomsky in which he lays down his reasons for being critical of United States' economic and military policy concerning the narco-trafficking in Colombia. As always Chomsky is crisp and to the point.

One such example that is discussed is the United States' program Food for Peace which provides food assistance around the world. To drive down the profits of wheat producers in Colombia, subsidized wheat was provided to Colombia through Food for Peace. This forced them to start growing coca which aided the narco-trafficking industry. A lot of other examples are given which reveal how US systematically helped President Gaviria in the killing of thousands of people in Colombia.

[Antero Tienaho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taattua Chomskya.

Lyhyt luento, joka käsittelee pääasiassa Kolumbian huumetuotantoa ja paikallisen ja Yhdysvaltain hallinnon osuutta siinä. Karuja faktoja, rumia asioita ja chomskylaista jäätävän mustaa huumoria.

Kiinostavaa olisi kuulla hänen analyysinsä nykyisestä USAn opioidiepidemiasta.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a great quick snap shot of how the US controls Central American countries.

[S P · Rating 4 out of 5]

The typical Chomsky!

Absorbing, loaded with information, shaking you up, anti-imperialism, pro-freedom, Deep analysis of Columbia's civil war, drugs, American intervention (Military and economic).

Bares it all, with no questions left behind.

Good read.

[Jason Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to audio on plane. Interesting And informative. The US puts sanctions on countries if they don't advertise our brand of cigarette! Wtf is that shit!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.