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tommyc's review
3.0
Basically, Chomsky was like, yeahhhh we really screwed up in foreign policy—most specifically in Iraq, but also more broadly through the world with our state-sponsored terrorism.
The whole book isn’t worth reading. The point is very clearly laid out in the first chapter. The remaining chapters are just a blunt force instrument going to show how poorly we executed in diplomacy. For instance, did you know that about 85% of the world was opposed to the USA invading Iraq post-9/11? No? Yeah neither did I. The book kinda made me hate the US for how dumb we are. No wonder the world dislikes us! He makes a bunch of additional points about Israel, too, which I thought was a very refreshing change of pace compared to the very Pro-Israel (read: anti-Palestine) propaganda that America effuses.
If you’re interested, just read the first and last chapter and you’ll get all you need! Would love to see an updated version of this book.
3.3/5 stars
The whole book isn’t worth reading. The point is very clearly laid out in the first chapter. The remaining chapters are just a blunt force instrument going to show how poorly we executed in diplomacy. For instance, did you know that about 85% of the world was opposed to the USA invading Iraq post-9/11? No? Yeah neither did I. The book kinda made me hate the US for how dumb we are. No wonder the world dislikes us! He makes a bunch of additional points about Israel, too, which I thought was a very refreshing change of pace compared to the very Pro-Israel (read: anti-Palestine) propaganda that America effuses.
If you’re interested, just read the first and last chapter and you’ll get all you need! Would love to see an updated version of this book.
3.3/5 stars
blueyorkie's review against another edition
4.0
That's a collection of texts intended for conferences or articles that detail the interventions of United States diplomacy globally.
From the outset, Noam Chomsky positions the country in a situation of imperialist hegemony—his entire argument will based on this hypothesis. From Vietnam to Nicaragua, including Iraq, Kosovo, East Timor, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Afghanistan, all armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War marked by the American imprint. The contempt for international law, the notion of "enlightened states," the right of aggression at will, and the doctrine of the state "policeman of the world" are studied precisely, supported by international press and government administration documents.
From the outset, Noam Chomsky positions the country in a situation of imperialist hegemony—his entire argument will based on this hypothesis. From Vietnam to Nicaragua, including Iraq, Kosovo, East Timor, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Afghanistan, all armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War marked by the American imprint. The contempt for international law, the notion of "enlightened states," the right of aggression at will, and the doctrine of the state "policeman of the world" are studied precisely, supported by international press and government administration documents.
biolexicon's review
4.0
Overall, this book is dense and informative. I agree with the interpretation of world events, however I didn’t always like the book’s writing style. I found myself confused sometimes as to what was being referred to, which may partly be my own ignorance on the issues discussed, but I think part of it was the writing itself. The same holds true for the quotes. The book is full of quotes but often I couldn’t tell whom a specific quote was attributed to. The book also tended to jump around. The content was well researched though and it makes the book worth reading.
rachachisaur's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
A good overview of some key points in US foreign policy history that shaped the international stage we are witnessing today. However the writing is rather dry, the information is repetitive, and the points are muddled.