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Illegitimate Authority: Facing the Challenges of Our Time
'One of the greatest, most radical public thinkers of our time' Arundhati Roy
In these incisive interviews, Chomsky addresses the urgent questions of this tumultuous time, speaking to the deterioration of democracy in the United States and rising tensions globally.
He examines the crumbling of the social fabric and the fractures of the Biden era, including the halting steps toward a Green New Deal, the illegitimate authority of the Supreme Court, in particular its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the ongoing fallout from COVID-19. Chomsky also untangles the roots of the War in Ukraine, the diplomatic tensions among the United States, China, and Russia, and considers the need for climate action on an international scale.
Illegitimate Authority exposes those who wield power in their own self-interest and plots framework for how we can stand together and fight against injustice.
'The West's most prominent critic of US imperialism . . . the closest thing in the English-speaking world to an intellectual superstar' Guardian
'Will there ever again be a public intellectual who commands the attention of so many across the planet?' New Statesman
In these incisive interviews, Chomsky addresses the urgent questions of this tumultuous time, speaking to the deterioration of democracy in the United States and rising tensions globally.
He examines the crumbling of the social fabric and the fractures of the Biden era, including the halting steps toward a Green New Deal, the illegitimate authority of the Supreme Court, in particular its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the ongoing fallout from COVID-19. Chomsky also untangles the roots of the War in Ukraine, the diplomatic tensions among the United States, China, and Russia, and considers the need for climate action on an international scale.
Illegitimate Authority exposes those who wield power in their own self-interest and plots framework for how we can stand together and fight against injustice.
'The West's most prominent critic of US imperialism . . . the closest thing in the English-speaking world to an intellectual superstar' Guardian
'Will there ever again be a public intellectual who commands the attention of so many across the planet?' New Statesman
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2023
108 people are currently reading
670 people want to read
About the author
Noam Chomsky
977 books17.4k followersAvram 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.
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.
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June 3, 2023
Noam says the US has “been almost continuously at war – almost always aggressive war – since its founding.” Noam believes the US forever wars began back in 1783 when, finally freed from Britain, the settlers were now free to invade Indian Country. The first US Secretary of War General Henry Knox said that what the US was doing was “more destructive to the Indian natives than the conduct of the conquerors of Mexico and Peru.” Later on, President/General Grant deeply regretted taking part in the US war against Mexico and saw it as “wicked” and a crime of aggression. Walter Hixson believes forever wars began in 1492.
“The US Constitution declares that treaties entered into by the US government are ‘the supreme law of the land’. The major treaty the US signed is the UN Charter, which bars ‘the threat or use of force’ in international affairs.” Pop Quiz: Name a single US President after WWII who did NOT violate this provision “with abandon”? Americans should all know that when Obama was President an extensive Gallup international poll showed that “the US was considered the greatest threat to world peace, with no contender even close.” Did you know that the US is the ONLY country that vetoed a Security Council resolution calling on all states (mentioning NONE in particular) to observe international law? What? The US respecting international law? How can the US successfully point fingers at China’s maritime violations when the US won’t first get off its ass and ratify the Law of the Sea? The US is also the only maritime state that refused to ratify the UN Law of the Sea. Ah, the joys of openly being a rogue state.
Cool Quotes: Samuel Huntington wrote that, “Power remains strong when it remains in the dark; exposed to sunlight it begins to evaporate.” Brit David Hume wrote about “the easiness with which the many are governed by the few” and noted that “as force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion.”
Noam calls the US historical treatment of Cuba, “petty sadism” while he calls US wars in Indochina the “worst crimes since WWII” while noting liberals call them a “failure” rather than obvious “crimes”. US aid to Israel is a bold violation of the Leahy Law “which bans military aid to units (countries) engaged in systematic human rights violations.” Remember that Britain got its wealth from piracy (Francis Drake et al – and also think India) and narco-trafficking (opium wars in China, etc.).
Did you know that Benjamin Franklin felt Germans and Swedes should be barred from entry to the US because they were too “swarthy”? California’s gun laws were overturned because the US District Court Judge Benitez said assault rifles were hardly different from Swiss Army knives. Meanwhile my Swiss Army knife has trouble cutting a piece of paper. Bernie Sanders is considered to have politics like that of the average German conservative party (says a London Financial Times editor). The London Economist found over 2,000 corporate convictions in the US from 2000 to 2014. Lula was removed in Brazil because he wanted to help ease the plight of Brazil’s poorest. Brazil’s Bolsonaro sought to privatize everything. The US cavalry “virtually eliminated the native population.” In 1962, “JFK changed the mission of the Latin American military from ‘hemispheric defense’ to ‘internal security’.” This meant the US then moved from tolerating Latin American military crimes to “direct complicity” in their crimes. Lest you think things have changed, note how in 2009 Obama/Clinton were almost alone in supporting the overthrow of Zelaya, a mild reformist in Honduras. Now Honduras is “one of the murder capitals of the world.”
Recent polls show 58% of Republicans thinks climate change is “not an important concern.” Republicans win by campaigning on emotional cultural issues. Republicans want to suppress books that upset white students. A FAIR report shows mainstream media discussed climate change for a total of 267 minutes in all of 2020, while it did 212 minutes of coverage in a single day for just the Jeff Bezos space launch. An example of internationalism in the US was the “Wobblies”, a.k.a. the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). “The IWW was crushed by state-capital violence.” The US and Russia have 5,000 atomic weapons each, 1,000 of which stay on high alert.
Cuba: In 1960, the State Department knew the majority of Cubans supported Castro, therefore, if it wanted regime change the US would need to make the Cuban economy scream, “to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.” Noam refers to JFK’s “terrorist war” on Cuba and shows how during the latest UN vote 184-2 on the Cuba blockade, only Israel voted with the US to continue the punishment for Cuba’s successful defiance of the US.
Afghanistan: The US invasion of Afghanistan “violated international law and Article VI of the US Constitution.” We are taught to have moral outrage against Putin, but none about the many similar US invasions or the US intentionally still keeping Afghanistan’s money away from the Afghans. “Washington is refusing to release Afghanistan’s funds, kept in New York’s banks in order to punish Afghans for daring to resist Washington’s twenty-year war.” “The US must withhold the funds from starving Afghans in case Americans want reparations for crimes of 9/11, for which Afghans bear no responsibility.” The logic of empire. And funny how the US has long seemed more interested in opium from Afghanistan than in mining its natural resources. China is now set to reap mining profits in Afghanistan since the US isn’t.
Democrats and Liberals: Liberals will admit Joe Manchin is a right-wing Democrat, but did you know he’s a coal baron and “the leading recipient of fossil fuel funding in Congress”? How do Democrats fight climate change with Joe continuing as an elected democrat? Under Clinton, the US bombed Serbia knowing full well that Serbia was allied with Russia. The Clinton Doctrine is only about committing war crimes – it’s the right to “unilateral use of military power” when the US feels like it. Democrats treat the US Constitution with the same reverence they give the Bible but comically act deaf when reminded that “Article VI of the Constitution establishes the UN Charter as ‘the supreme law of the land’.” That even their own beloved Democratic Presidents boldly and routinely violate the Constitution while in office, means utterly nothing to them. Name a Democrat in office who shows even vague regret about the US “stealing the funds of Afghans while they face mass starvation?” Name a Democrat in office who knows how Britain and the US forced a “century of humiliation” on China (Opium Wars and beyond). We may want to forget that past, but China certainly hasn’t. The clearest call for genocide in US history was made by Kissinger regarding his orders to relentlessly and illegally bomb Cambodia; his orders were “anything that flies on anything that moves.”
Fall of the Soviet Union: When the USSR collapsed, US elites could finally give the world the Peace Dividend - but actually help the people? Yuck. Instead, elites had to quickly devise a rationale for NATO to continue. Their reason quickly became “humanitarian intervention”. Find some US woman better looking for the news cameras than Madeleine Albright to sell wars by a new name – Samantha Power thus became the perfect candidate to sell this “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P). Cute female FOX reporters got many to believe whatever crap they were selling; why associate nasty stuff with the face of a Thatcher or Albright when you can empower Samantha instead to flawlessly act as your elite marionette puppet?
Ukraine: Did you know that Zelensky himself “went on record saying that only diplomacy can end the war”? Noam also says the only solution in Ukraine is “a negotiated settlement.” Noam finds Putin’s invasion a major war crime like the US invasion of Iraq - neither had any moral justification, but Noam says (as do many others) that if Ukraine had adhered to Minsk II, there would have been no Russian invasion. Don’t forget that the UN Security Council had unanimously endorsed Minsk II. But the US doesn’t want Ukraine to be neutral. Noam is a fan of Richard Sakwa’s book, “Frontline Ukraine.” Sakwa writes, “NATO’s existence became justified by the need to manage threats provoked by its enlargement.” Well said. Noam says, “For Ukraine to join NATO would be rather like Mexico joining a China-run military alliance, hosting joint maneuvers with the Chinese Army and maintaining weapons pointed at Washington.” Noam also says, “The Iraq invasion was a textbook example of the crimes for which the Nazi’s were hanged at Nuremberg, pure unprovoked aggression.” Noam calls out “the supreme hypocrisy of Western posturing about crimes that are a bare fraction of their own regular practices, right up to the present.” Noam notes an Italian university recently tried to ban a series of lectures on Dostoyevsky as if the D man himself invaded Ukraine. I wonder if that same university tried to ban a series of lectures on Mark Twain when the US invaded Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam. Me thinks not. Zelensky was elected in 2019 “with an overwhelming mandate for peace” and Zelensky laudably wanted to pursue peace but the US and Ukraine’s far right did absolutely nothing to encourage that, and so Zelensky switched directions and began “undermining instead of facilitating diplomatic solutions.” The Ukraine War keeps Yemen from much needed grain imports from Ukraine and Russia. Germany, Italy and France want negotiations, ceasefire and settlement in Ukraine, while the US and Britain want their pet proxy war full-on continued. Diplomacy is clearly not impossible today; remember that for centuries the goal of European nations was to slaughter each other.
Germany: After WWI Germany was treated so badly German anger led to the rise of Hitler and WWII. Excluding the Soviet Union after WWII led to the Cold War. But those who know history remember that Napoleon’s defeat had led to a century of peace for Europe because at the Congress of Vienna, defeated France was reincorporated into the governing councils of Europe.
Ukraine vs. Iraq Invasions: When Noam did a Google search of “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” he found 2,430,000 results. But when Noam did a Google search for “unprovoked invasion of Iraq”, Google offered only 11,700 results. The joys of living in a shamelessly hypocritical rogue state. Four percent of Iraqis polled thought the US had invaded to help Iraqis. When leaders of the Global South heard Biden called Putin a war criminal, Noam says the common feeling was, “It takes one to know one.” “The Iraq War was totally unprovoked.” “In contrast, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was most definitely provoked.” There’s a famous list of over 50 foreign policy experts who have long stated their concern over the US intentionally ignoring Russian security concerns for decades. Any country that ignored US security concerns would be invaded, yet US media ignores the idea that Putin would have ANY security concerns for Russia, even after Napoleon and Hitler obviously brutally invaded. Iraq: Don’t forget that Denis Halliday resigned because he saw US sanctions on Iraq to be genocidal. The replacement for Denis, Hans von Sponeck also resigned saying the same thing and even wrote a book about it. Western Mainstream Media talks about the ecological damage done by Russia in Ukraine while ignoring the ecological damage done by the US in Iraq (and Vietnam) and Israel in Gaza.
Women’s Rights: Our founders held that “a women is property, owned by her father, ownership transferred to her husband.” “It wasn’t until 1975 that the Supreme Court granted full personhood to women, granting them the right to serve on federal juries as ‘peers’.”
Climate Change: The day after the IPCC states that for the human race to survive it must immediately begin to reduce fossil fuel usage, Biden announced “vast new expansion of fossil fuel production.” That’s Biden who did that – not Trump.
Things that Noam says in this book that I disagree with: Noam calls Russia a “kleptocratic petrostate” while offering zero blame to the US-led neoliberal economic rape of Russia that produced those kleptocratic billionaires working with the US (F. William Engdahl writes about this in depth). Then Noam shows zero empathy towards all vaccine resisters. “Those refusing vaccination in the rich countries” pose severe dangers to everyone on Earth, the rich included.” Noam believes there is “overwhelming evidence of the efficacy of the vaccines” and there is a “great danger” in refusing them. It seems Noam thinks COVID vaccinations have never hurt a single human, and Noam has zero explanations of why COVID vaccines are the only product on the planet that insists on and received total financial immunity. If a product is as safe as you say it is, Noam, why pray tell give it guaranteed immunity from prosecution? Noam will also never entertain for a second the possibility that COVID did escape from US financed gain-of-function testing in Wuhan. And why is Noam in lockstep with everything Fauci has ever said? In a video dated October 24, Chomsky explains that, in his opinion, “the only proper attitude of the non-vaccinated would be for them to put themselves out of society.” Then he says that if necessary, they should be “forced to isolate themselves” and treated as outcasts. Max Blumenthal said, that Noam Chomsky doubled down on his previous call for the state to segregate “the unvaccinated” from society: by conveniently answering his own question, "How can we get food to them? Well, that's actually their problem." Wow. Such lack of compassion from a man known normally for his outstanding compassion. So why is one of our biggest heroes bent over in the shower brazenly spreading his ass cheeks for Fauci while calling for the isolation from US society all who refuse vaccination? We see no requests by Noam for forced isolation of violent racists, convicted pedophiles, convicted murderers, war criminals, CIA hitmen, or American fascists – ONLY for US citizens who don’t trust vaccines. Convicted murderers and rapists all get food in prison, yet Noam doesn’t care if all people who refused vaccines starve? How bizarre.
Still, this book was great, as all the dozens of Noam books I’ve reviewed on Goodreads have been, and I learned a lot. And, as this book's credits show, I funded this book as fund advisor for Wallace Action Fund. It’s also saddening how Noam ignores all recent developments of JFK’s assassination, how he sees JFK as all bad, how he pretends that 9/11 has ZERO unanswered concerns (like the implosion of unaffected Building 7). I always thought Noam’s motto was “keep an open mind” and “through empathy, dig hard for the truth” but apparently to that he now adds “yet argue against my take on JFK, 9/11, and vaccines and without further thought, I’ll believe you are either dangerous or an imbecile.”
“The US Constitution declares that treaties entered into by the US government are ‘the supreme law of the land’. The major treaty the US signed is the UN Charter, which bars ‘the threat or use of force’ in international affairs.” Pop Quiz: Name a single US President after WWII who did NOT violate this provision “with abandon”? Americans should all know that when Obama was President an extensive Gallup international poll showed that “the US was considered the greatest threat to world peace, with no contender even close.” Did you know that the US is the ONLY country that vetoed a Security Council resolution calling on all states (mentioning NONE in particular) to observe international law? What? The US respecting international law? How can the US successfully point fingers at China’s maritime violations when the US won’t first get off its ass and ratify the Law of the Sea? The US is also the only maritime state that refused to ratify the UN Law of the Sea. Ah, the joys of openly being a rogue state.
Cool Quotes: Samuel Huntington wrote that, “Power remains strong when it remains in the dark; exposed to sunlight it begins to evaporate.” Brit David Hume wrote about “the easiness with which the many are governed by the few” and noted that “as force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion.”
Noam calls the US historical treatment of Cuba, “petty sadism” while he calls US wars in Indochina the “worst crimes since WWII” while noting liberals call them a “failure” rather than obvious “crimes”. US aid to Israel is a bold violation of the Leahy Law “which bans military aid to units (countries) engaged in systematic human rights violations.” Remember that Britain got its wealth from piracy (Francis Drake et al – and also think India) and narco-trafficking (opium wars in China, etc.).
Did you know that Benjamin Franklin felt Germans and Swedes should be barred from entry to the US because they were too “swarthy”? California’s gun laws were overturned because the US District Court Judge Benitez said assault rifles were hardly different from Swiss Army knives. Meanwhile my Swiss Army knife has trouble cutting a piece of paper. Bernie Sanders is considered to have politics like that of the average German conservative party (says a London Financial Times editor). The London Economist found over 2,000 corporate convictions in the US from 2000 to 2014. Lula was removed in Brazil because he wanted to help ease the plight of Brazil’s poorest. Brazil’s Bolsonaro sought to privatize everything. The US cavalry “virtually eliminated the native population.” In 1962, “JFK changed the mission of the Latin American military from ‘hemispheric defense’ to ‘internal security’.” This meant the US then moved from tolerating Latin American military crimes to “direct complicity” in their crimes. Lest you think things have changed, note how in 2009 Obama/Clinton were almost alone in supporting the overthrow of Zelaya, a mild reformist in Honduras. Now Honduras is “one of the murder capitals of the world.”
Recent polls show 58% of Republicans thinks climate change is “not an important concern.” Republicans win by campaigning on emotional cultural issues. Republicans want to suppress books that upset white students. A FAIR report shows mainstream media discussed climate change for a total of 267 minutes in all of 2020, while it did 212 minutes of coverage in a single day for just the Jeff Bezos space launch. An example of internationalism in the US was the “Wobblies”, a.k.a. the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). “The IWW was crushed by state-capital violence.” The US and Russia have 5,000 atomic weapons each, 1,000 of which stay on high alert.
Cuba: In 1960, the State Department knew the majority of Cubans supported Castro, therefore, if it wanted regime change the US would need to make the Cuban economy scream, “to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.” Noam refers to JFK’s “terrorist war” on Cuba and shows how during the latest UN vote 184-2 on the Cuba blockade, only Israel voted with the US to continue the punishment for Cuba’s successful defiance of the US.
Afghanistan: The US invasion of Afghanistan “violated international law and Article VI of the US Constitution.” We are taught to have moral outrage against Putin, but none about the many similar US invasions or the US intentionally still keeping Afghanistan’s money away from the Afghans. “Washington is refusing to release Afghanistan’s funds, kept in New York’s banks in order to punish Afghans for daring to resist Washington’s twenty-year war.” “The US must withhold the funds from starving Afghans in case Americans want reparations for crimes of 9/11, for which Afghans bear no responsibility.” The logic of empire. And funny how the US has long seemed more interested in opium from Afghanistan than in mining its natural resources. China is now set to reap mining profits in Afghanistan since the US isn’t.
Democrats and Liberals: Liberals will admit Joe Manchin is a right-wing Democrat, but did you know he’s a coal baron and “the leading recipient of fossil fuel funding in Congress”? How do Democrats fight climate change with Joe continuing as an elected democrat? Under Clinton, the US bombed Serbia knowing full well that Serbia was allied with Russia. The Clinton Doctrine is only about committing war crimes – it’s the right to “unilateral use of military power” when the US feels like it. Democrats treat the US Constitution with the same reverence they give the Bible but comically act deaf when reminded that “Article VI of the Constitution establishes the UN Charter as ‘the supreme law of the land’.” That even their own beloved Democratic Presidents boldly and routinely violate the Constitution while in office, means utterly nothing to them. Name a Democrat in office who shows even vague regret about the US “stealing the funds of Afghans while they face mass starvation?” Name a Democrat in office who knows how Britain and the US forced a “century of humiliation” on China (Opium Wars and beyond). We may want to forget that past, but China certainly hasn’t. The clearest call for genocide in US history was made by Kissinger regarding his orders to relentlessly and illegally bomb Cambodia; his orders were “anything that flies on anything that moves.”
Fall of the Soviet Union: When the USSR collapsed, US elites could finally give the world the Peace Dividend - but actually help the people? Yuck. Instead, elites had to quickly devise a rationale for NATO to continue. Their reason quickly became “humanitarian intervention”. Find some US woman better looking for the news cameras than Madeleine Albright to sell wars by a new name – Samantha Power thus became the perfect candidate to sell this “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P). Cute female FOX reporters got many to believe whatever crap they were selling; why associate nasty stuff with the face of a Thatcher or Albright when you can empower Samantha instead to flawlessly act as your elite marionette puppet?
Ukraine: Did you know that Zelensky himself “went on record saying that only diplomacy can end the war”? Noam also says the only solution in Ukraine is “a negotiated settlement.” Noam finds Putin’s invasion a major war crime like the US invasion of Iraq - neither had any moral justification, but Noam says (as do many others) that if Ukraine had adhered to Minsk II, there would have been no Russian invasion. Don’t forget that the UN Security Council had unanimously endorsed Minsk II. But the US doesn’t want Ukraine to be neutral. Noam is a fan of Richard Sakwa’s book, “Frontline Ukraine.” Sakwa writes, “NATO’s existence became justified by the need to manage threats provoked by its enlargement.” Well said. Noam says, “For Ukraine to join NATO would be rather like Mexico joining a China-run military alliance, hosting joint maneuvers with the Chinese Army and maintaining weapons pointed at Washington.” Noam also says, “The Iraq invasion was a textbook example of the crimes for which the Nazi’s were hanged at Nuremberg, pure unprovoked aggression.” Noam calls out “the supreme hypocrisy of Western posturing about crimes that are a bare fraction of their own regular practices, right up to the present.” Noam notes an Italian university recently tried to ban a series of lectures on Dostoyevsky as if the D man himself invaded Ukraine. I wonder if that same university tried to ban a series of lectures on Mark Twain when the US invaded Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam. Me thinks not. Zelensky was elected in 2019 “with an overwhelming mandate for peace” and Zelensky laudably wanted to pursue peace but the US and Ukraine’s far right did absolutely nothing to encourage that, and so Zelensky switched directions and began “undermining instead of facilitating diplomatic solutions.” The Ukraine War keeps Yemen from much needed grain imports from Ukraine and Russia. Germany, Italy and France want negotiations, ceasefire and settlement in Ukraine, while the US and Britain want their pet proxy war full-on continued. Diplomacy is clearly not impossible today; remember that for centuries the goal of European nations was to slaughter each other.
Germany: After WWI Germany was treated so badly German anger led to the rise of Hitler and WWII. Excluding the Soviet Union after WWII led to the Cold War. But those who know history remember that Napoleon’s defeat had led to a century of peace for Europe because at the Congress of Vienna, defeated France was reincorporated into the governing councils of Europe.
Ukraine vs. Iraq Invasions: When Noam did a Google search of “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” he found 2,430,000 results. But when Noam did a Google search for “unprovoked invasion of Iraq”, Google offered only 11,700 results. The joys of living in a shamelessly hypocritical rogue state. Four percent of Iraqis polled thought the US had invaded to help Iraqis. When leaders of the Global South heard Biden called Putin a war criminal, Noam says the common feeling was, “It takes one to know one.” “The Iraq War was totally unprovoked.” “In contrast, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was most definitely provoked.” There’s a famous list of over 50 foreign policy experts who have long stated their concern over the US intentionally ignoring Russian security concerns for decades. Any country that ignored US security concerns would be invaded, yet US media ignores the idea that Putin would have ANY security concerns for Russia, even after Napoleon and Hitler obviously brutally invaded. Iraq: Don’t forget that Denis Halliday resigned because he saw US sanctions on Iraq to be genocidal. The replacement for Denis, Hans von Sponeck also resigned saying the same thing and even wrote a book about it. Western Mainstream Media talks about the ecological damage done by Russia in Ukraine while ignoring the ecological damage done by the US in Iraq (and Vietnam) and Israel in Gaza.
Women’s Rights: Our founders held that “a women is property, owned by her father, ownership transferred to her husband.” “It wasn’t until 1975 that the Supreme Court granted full personhood to women, granting them the right to serve on federal juries as ‘peers’.”
Climate Change: The day after the IPCC states that for the human race to survive it must immediately begin to reduce fossil fuel usage, Biden announced “vast new expansion of fossil fuel production.” That’s Biden who did that – not Trump.
Things that Noam says in this book that I disagree with: Noam calls Russia a “kleptocratic petrostate” while offering zero blame to the US-led neoliberal economic rape of Russia that produced those kleptocratic billionaires working with the US (F. William Engdahl writes about this in depth). Then Noam shows zero empathy towards all vaccine resisters. “Those refusing vaccination in the rich countries” pose severe dangers to everyone on Earth, the rich included.” Noam believes there is “overwhelming evidence of the efficacy of the vaccines” and there is a “great danger” in refusing them. It seems Noam thinks COVID vaccinations have never hurt a single human, and Noam has zero explanations of why COVID vaccines are the only product on the planet that insists on and received total financial immunity. If a product is as safe as you say it is, Noam, why pray tell give it guaranteed immunity from prosecution? Noam will also never entertain for a second the possibility that COVID did escape from US financed gain-of-function testing in Wuhan. And why is Noam in lockstep with everything Fauci has ever said? In a video dated October 24, Chomsky explains that, in his opinion, “the only proper attitude of the non-vaccinated would be for them to put themselves out of society.” Then he says that if necessary, they should be “forced to isolate themselves” and treated as outcasts. Max Blumenthal said, that Noam Chomsky doubled down on his previous call for the state to segregate “the unvaccinated” from society: by conveniently answering his own question, "How can we get food to them? Well, that's actually their problem." Wow. Such lack of compassion from a man known normally for his outstanding compassion. So why is one of our biggest heroes bent over in the shower brazenly spreading his ass cheeks for Fauci while calling for the isolation from US society all who refuse vaccination? We see no requests by Noam for forced isolation of violent racists, convicted pedophiles, convicted murderers, war criminals, CIA hitmen, or American fascists – ONLY for US citizens who don’t trust vaccines. Convicted murderers and rapists all get food in prison, yet Noam doesn’t care if all people who refused vaccines starve? How bizarre.
Still, this book was great, as all the dozens of Noam books I’ve reviewed on Goodreads have been, and I learned a lot. And, as this book's credits show, I funded this book as fund advisor for Wallace Action Fund. It’s also saddening how Noam ignores all recent developments of JFK’s assassination, how he sees JFK as all bad, how he pretends that 9/11 has ZERO unanswered concerns (like the implosion of unaffected Building 7). I always thought Noam’s motto was “keep an open mind” and “through empathy, dig hard for the truth” but apparently to that he now adds “yet argue against my take on JFK, 9/11, and vaccines and without further thought, I’ll believe you are either dangerous or an imbecile.”
Read
November 5, 2025This tackles various issues like how governments are failing to deal with climate change, US politics (fascist tendencies of the republicans, failings of the democrats, foreign policy being mostly overthrowing other governments, using horrendous violence in the process), the war between Russia and Ukraine, US-China relations, Europes continual decline and dependence on America, and other problems in short.
Chomsky has piercing insights and explains in great detail how humanity is fucked, basically. I mean, I knew (not only) the west was quite bad but man we really just might all die because of the endless need for power of the very few. So yeah😃
I have some hope for the younger generation though
The editing could’ve been much better btw, it’s a bit all over the place
Chomsky has piercing insights and explains in great detail how humanity is fucked, basically. I mean, I knew (not only) the west was quite bad but man we really just might all die because of the endless need for power of the very few. So yeah😃
I have some hope for the younger generation though
The editing could’ve been much better btw, it’s a bit all over the place
May 19, 2024
In case you were wondering about Chomsky’s thoughts about Biden’s presidency, here it is. Basically a series of interviews until the beginning of the crisis in Gaza, Chomsky begins with a somewhat optimistic stance toward Biden and through a series of interviews on climate, the Russian-Ukraine war, slips in domestic policy and more you almost get to feel Chomsky’s cynicism return with each page turn.
September 1, 2025
A large selection of interviews, basically outlining Chomsky's thoughts on the Biden presidency, the Russia/Ukraine conflict and the climate crisis. He also touches on the US's strategy toward China.The interviews were conducted between 2020 and 2022 I believe, so they are quite recent issues, and the first part of the book frequently touches on the pandemic and its impacts. It was quite surface-level, as can be expected with a selection of interviews, but a good read overall. The editing of the book did somewhat bother me. There was definitely some unnecessary repetition. But overall, interesting! And I did learn more about the US's history with Afghanistan which I didn't know a lot about.
April 25, 2024
Poorly edited and repititious though Chomsky's insights are as valuable as ever. This is the first Chomsky book I've read that had editing issues or seemed at all reactionary.
Want to read
July 24, 2023E916 .C46 2023 College Library Rm. 1191
March 11, 2024
He does it again. Classic Chomsky updated for 2020-2022. However I do disagree with the benevolence of China in the global south and lack of suspicions towards their actions
July 23, 2024
3.5 stars
September 27, 2023
"Book banning is nothing new in the US and suppressing votes of the "wrong" people is as American as apple pie."
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I really didn't know what to expect beyond leftist sentiments when I started this. I think it was just too radical and Chomsky was near-vitriolic in his hatred (apparently) of the US that it was hard to hear beyond that. He also just kept repeating the same 3 things about Cuba, Israel, and Russia. Sometimes literally copying and pasting paragraphs several times. This didn't feel like a hot take to me. It relied a lot on assumed knowledge of niche political terms and events so at times I found it quite hard to follow. Maybe I need to read something a little more beginner friendly, but this made me feel mostly bored.
I did appreciate his near-constant refrain that we have to focus on climate change, he's right about that. His smug predictions about Russia v. Ukraine were totally wrong and it made me chuckle to see him not really acknowledge that but continue on the "America is evil" rant. To make it abundantly clear, I don't agree with that sentiment.
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I really didn't know what to expect beyond leftist sentiments when I started this. I think it was just too radical and Chomsky was near-vitriolic in his hatred (apparently) of the US that it was hard to hear beyond that. He also just kept repeating the same 3 things about Cuba, Israel, and Russia. Sometimes literally copying and pasting paragraphs several times. This didn't feel like a hot take to me. It relied a lot on assumed knowledge of niche political terms and events so at times I found it quite hard to follow. Maybe I need to read something a little more beginner friendly, but this made me feel mostly bored.
I did appreciate his near-constant refrain that we have to focus on climate change, he's right about that. His smug predictions about Russia v. Ukraine were totally wrong and it made me chuckle to see him not really acknowledge that but continue on the "America is evil" rant. To make it abundantly clear, I don't agree with that sentiment.
July 14, 2023
Brief sum-up of the conclusion you come to when reading Noam's remarks....we are well and truly f%@&ed. It is difficult to come away thinking things are going to work out well for the human race in the near future.
October 24, 2023
This was truly wonderful. Immersive and well structured. It felt like a breath of fresh air after being taught certain IR issues mainly through the lens of realism. Highly recommend! It’s also refreshing to see an older (respectfully) person be so adamant about climate change issues.
June 22, 2024
We need free education and education for young white males who glorify war ASAP. But anti us military and anti jfk, pro soviet propaganda were off the line.
September 20, 2023
Do I need to tell you who Noam Chomsky is? I don’t, right? If you don’t know who he is, you’d best Google him and learn about the stuff he’s written and said. Whether you agree with his viewpoints or not, Chomsky is always worth reading and his perspective always worth considering on topics. He’s our lifetime’s Bertrand Russell: always eloquent, informed, and sharp. His noggin holds the kind of information that’s as valuable as a popsicle on a hot summer day. He’s always been a fanatic of social and political events, his brain is as spongy as ever, and he’s just a perfect example of what we can be if we made an effort to understand the world around us, instead of, say, watch movies or play video games.
The ship has probably sailed for any new books where Noam Chomsky is the sole author, but we all know the man could probably churn out a dozen more in as many years if he really wanted to. Instead, we’re left with “interview books” which are collections of interviews conducted with him and C.J Polychroniou who is a very eloquent and smart interviewer, giving context and perspective to the questions he asks Chomsky.
This is his most recent collection of interviews with Chomsky and luckily covers events as recently as the war in Ukraine. Topics range from the Trump and Biden administrations, climate change, international relations, and Russia and the Ukraine. Chomsky has a lot of very informative things to say about all of these, such as the lack of commitment from either administration to really spearhead programs to curb C02 emissions, the contrast between the US’s military approach and China’s infrastructural approach to swaying other countries, and the responsibility the US bears for the invasion of Ukraine and what the most reasonable, although unpleasant, solutions might be considering the situation in which the war is going.
Illegitimate Authority gets a little repetitive at times, like with presenting the cause for the Ukrainian invasion and directions in which it could go, but this book is still highly informative and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
The ship has probably sailed for any new books where Noam Chomsky is the sole author, but we all know the man could probably churn out a dozen more in as many years if he really wanted to. Instead, we’re left with “interview books” which are collections of interviews conducted with him and C.J Polychroniou who is a very eloquent and smart interviewer, giving context and perspective to the questions he asks Chomsky.
This is his most recent collection of interviews with Chomsky and luckily covers events as recently as the war in Ukraine. Topics range from the Trump and Biden administrations, climate change, international relations, and Russia and the Ukraine. Chomsky has a lot of very informative things to say about all of these, such as the lack of commitment from either administration to really spearhead programs to curb C02 emissions, the contrast between the US’s military approach and China’s infrastructural approach to swaying other countries, and the responsibility the US bears for the invasion of Ukraine and what the most reasonable, although unpleasant, solutions might be considering the situation in which the war is going.
Illegitimate Authority gets a little repetitive at times, like with presenting the cause for the Ukrainian invasion and directions in which it could go, but this book is still highly informative and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
October 25, 2023
Facing The Challenges
Fairly heartfelt book and an interesting read on authority and world power.
I want to note that this book was a collection of essays in writings - I don't believe it was anything new (if you follow along with his writing), nor written in the last year or so, although I could be incorrect in this.
I found Noam was a little misinformed with regard to China being a leader in green technology. A common misconception of misinformation that the CCP puts out. Instead, they are one of, if not the biggest polluters, and contributors of greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, a lot of the views that were shared in this book reminded me of the book Principles For Dealing With the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail which I found had a slight leaning of misinformation in it - particularly around China.
I found in this book, especially the beginning half, Noam almost congratulating China. Although later he seemed to turn the tide and had a good chapter on China / Taiwan relations and the antagonism China has with other countries.
Either way. I found that Noam was very outspoken politically. He was very critical of current and past USA regimes.
Still an interesting read, and a few fresh perspectives on authority and things of politics.
Check it out, as Noam is a known voice and a big thinker!
3.7/5
Fairly heartfelt book and an interesting read on authority and world power.
I want to note that this book was a collection of essays in writings - I don't believe it was anything new (if you follow along with his writing), nor written in the last year or so, although I could be incorrect in this.
I found Noam was a little misinformed with regard to China being a leader in green technology. A common misconception of misinformation that the CCP puts out. Instead, they are one of, if not the biggest polluters, and contributors of greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, a lot of the views that were shared in this book reminded me of the book Principles For Dealing With the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail which I found had a slight leaning of misinformation in it - particularly around China.
I found in this book, especially the beginning half, Noam almost congratulating China. Although later he seemed to turn the tide and had a good chapter on China / Taiwan relations and the antagonism China has with other countries.
Either way. I found that Noam was very outspoken politically. He was very critical of current and past USA regimes.
Still an interesting read, and a few fresh perspectives on authority and things of politics.
Check it out, as Noam is a known voice and a big thinker!
3.7/5
October 29, 2025
Illegitimate Authority by Noam Chomsky holds valuable insights and comes from a highly respected intellectual, but I found this book a tough read overall. As a Romanian in my thirties, I struggled to fully engage with the interview-like format and compilation style, which felt disjointed and hard to follow. This contributed to my decision to return the book unfinished—one of the few I’ve ended up returning.
While the content offers important critique on global power structures, democracy, and pressing challenges like climate change and war, the constant repetition and sometimes fragmented presentation made it a tough slog. The format didn’t suit my reading preferences, as I usually favor a more coherent narrative or structured argument rather than a series of interviews and essays compiled together.
I appreciate Chomsky deeply and intend to try his other works, hoping for a more digestible format and flow. This book felt like a hard one to swallow and keep up with, despite its clear value and thought-provoking ideas. Not an easy read, but perhaps rewarding for those accustomed to this style of political discourse.
While the content offers important critique on global power structures, democracy, and pressing challenges like climate change and war, the constant repetition and sometimes fragmented presentation made it a tough slog. The format didn’t suit my reading preferences, as I usually favor a more coherent narrative or structured argument rather than a series of interviews and essays compiled together.
I appreciate Chomsky deeply and intend to try his other works, hoping for a more digestible format and flow. This book felt like a hard one to swallow and keep up with, despite its clear value and thought-provoking ideas. Not an easy read, but perhaps rewarding for those accustomed to this style of political discourse.
January 22, 2025
This book contains a series of interviews from march 2021 to June 2022.
The topics discussed are the immediate climate crisis, the threat of nuclear annihilation, continued US. war crimes, the dysfunctional political system and class war. There is a series of interviews after the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the ending of the book how to settle the conflict in diplomatic ways rather than brute force.
Even though I personally don't agree in every detail with the presented views of Chomsky, one must acknowledge the influence of this outstanding intellectual who dares to dissent what is described in liberal circles as uncontested truth.
At the forefront of his criticism are the countless warcrimes done by the US; he even goes as far as to say that if the nuremberg principles would be appleid, every single post world war president would be indictable. The renewed aggressions towards smaller nations, bullied by US dominance, created much of the misery in human suffering at contemporary times.
The topics discussed are the immediate climate crisis, the threat of nuclear annihilation, continued US. war crimes, the dysfunctional political system and class war. There is a series of interviews after the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the ending of the book how to settle the conflict in diplomatic ways rather than brute force.
Even though I personally don't agree in every detail with the presented views of Chomsky, one must acknowledge the influence of this outstanding intellectual who dares to dissent what is described in liberal circles as uncontested truth.
At the forefront of his criticism are the countless warcrimes done by the US; he even goes as far as to say that if the nuremberg principles would be appleid, every single post world war president would be indictable. The renewed aggressions towards smaller nations, bullied by US dominance, created much of the misery in human suffering at contemporary times.
July 30, 2023
Nobody lays into his own country like Noam Chomsky. He's not frightened or averse to lay into Israel either, which makes him a self-hating Jew in the eyes of many. In this collection of recent (2021-22) interviews, he mostly lays into the US but gives Russia and Israel a good serve when required too. What all of this means is that you get an entertaining read, though one fraught with some repetition and overstatement. Chomsky is billed as the foremost critic of American foreign policy and a read of works like this is credence why. He spares neither side of the US political spectrum, in fact he dishes it out to JFK and Clinton arguably more than does to any Republican leader. Like all of his political works, this book makes for sobering reading.
October 23, 2023
As always, I enjoyed? (is that the right word for reading depressing things?) listening to my favorite linguist turned political thinker. Because this book is from interviews, there are some parts that get repetitive, but overall it is exactly the well-reasoned commentary that I am used to from Chomsky. I appreciated the background information on Ukraine, as that is a subject I am not well versed in. As usual, I appreciate Chomsky for calling out hypocrisy wherever he sees it and doesn't reserve it for one side of the political divide as so many do nowadays.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for a copy of the audiobook for review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for a copy of the audiobook for review.
February 8, 2024
Remarkable book. Impeccable writing, advanced English and true ingenuity is what fills this book. If you wish to improve your general knowledge level in world affairs, events or US politics and history, this is the book to read.
Noam Chomsky raves about how the US violates all sorts of international orders and even the US' own rules of aggression. The issue of Israel's genocide of Palestinians and Putin's invasion of Ukraine is elaborated here, as well as the US's involvement exacerbating the issues.
4/5 because it starts to get repetitive in the last 15% of the book to the point it felt just a bit draggy.
Noam Chomsky raves about how the US violates all sorts of international orders and even the US' own rules of aggression. The issue of Israel's genocide of Palestinians and Putin's invasion of Ukraine is elaborated here, as well as the US's involvement exacerbating the issues.
4/5 because it starts to get repetitive in the last 15% of the book to the point it felt just a bit draggy.
May 19, 2023
This book's content is up to date despite the interview was held starting 2021. However, Noam Chomsky's honest and realistic insights do not fail the expectations of the readers, especially a Chomsky Reader like me, to be enlightened with his wide and well-researched historical basis and practical solutions to the present situation and problems the world faces. A great intellectual that the world must listen to. Great read.
September 10, 2023
Don't water your time and money. Avoid this BS, unless you are a leftist of some sort. What is more disturbing is that this person is spreading his nonsense (value judgements presented as fact judgements), without even generic understanding of the subject, russia-Ukraine relations in the last 150 years in particular.
May 25, 2023
The content of this book is very powerful and well presented. Definitely worth reading it. As it's a collection of interviews, it can become quite repetitive at times but this is merely a consequence of its formatting. Nonetheless repetitions do bring aids to learning the framework of thoughts...
June 5, 2023
Chomsky once again able to pull together historical precedents and hypocrisies that other commentators aren’t really capable of, making this a unique perspective on current events.
Docking it one star because it is quite repetitive, which is due to it being a series of unconnected interviews.
Docking it one star because it is quite repetitive, which is due to it being a series of unconnected interviews.
August 14, 2024
Great book to have another point of view which is not present in mainstream media! Sadly the « meat » of the discussion is REALLY repetitive and makes the book long for no reason. An edited version with half of the pages would have made it a 4/5 for me.
July 28, 2025
the format of these interviews and a lot of the points made are very repetitive, but it's still an ever-important read (if a bit radical in some parts) ... i'd love to one day be as knowledgeable as chomsky
July 3, 2023
Phenomenal
August 29, 2023
Klassieke chomsky, interessant maar te weinig bronnen en te veel herhaling
November 5, 2023
The book is good, I just suffer a bit for this style of transcribed text
January 19, 2024
The World needs more Noam Chomsky's
February 13, 2024
more so than other Chomsky books I have read
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