Posted on 02/25/2004 9:21:40 PM PST by SpinyNorman
"We like [the Third World] to have democracy," said Professor Noam Chomsky, referring to the United States government. "As long as the do what we say."
The controversial Massachusetts Institute of Technology linguistics professor and accomplished author took the stage to give the lecture entitled "Iraq and Beyond" at 7 p.m. last night.
A crowded Bowker Auditorium erupted in applause as the professor took the stage.
With the auditorium packed to its 704-seat capacity with students, professors, and faculty members, hundreds of spectators were not permitted entry. The room was packed 40 minutes before Professor Chomsky took the stage.
His lecture last evening was supposed to focus on Iraq; however, the general issue addressed by Chomsky was American foreign policy.
"One fundamental truism we must answer to is, are we or are we not going to apply the standards we apply to others to ourselves?" Chomsky said, referring to how the rhetoric of American foreign policy does not always match its actions.
Chomsky is known as an outspoken critic of American foreign policy. Having gained much recognition in the Vietnam War years, his name resurfaced in the headlines and his books became popular sellers again after the events of Sept. 11.
Chomsky highlighted what he believes to be the hypocritical nature of American foreign policy. The 75-year-old professor attached brief history lessons to all the points he emphasized. He likened modern American foreign policy to the writings of Adam Smith, an author who Chomsky says we are "trained to worship but not to read."
He explained that the world through the prism of American foreign policy today is similar to the world Adam Smith was analyzing earlier in the century except the manufacturers and merchants of then are the International Monetary Fund and international corporations of today.
He used Smith's theory's to shed light on the current situation in Iraq and the prospects of American corporations in line to control the Iraqi economy.
"Forced imposition of market principles in countries that are militarily controlled is basically what created the Third World," he said referring to Iraq today and many other nations in the past.
Chomsky, who has been a critic of international corporations and their influence on the third world, explained how these corporations are a driving force in the policy planning of today.
The professor expressed his analysis of the Bush Doctrines and the "visions" of the Bush administration. He called the National Security Strategy, the policy of the Bush administration announced in Sept. 2002, "an open call for global domination" and he also likened "Kissengerian Realism" to Nazism.
Chomsky explained that this policy was the outcome of theories that had been in the works for years before the Bush Administration. He talked about how this has always been the foreign policy of the United States since the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt but also noted that the Bush Administration was the first to bluntly "slam it in your face".
Speaking on the second Bush doctrine, which he identified as the policy of attacking nations that harbor terrorists, he exploited instances in history in which he claims the United States was guilty of violating that very doctrine. He pointed out that the United States has offered pardons and safe haven to known terrorists and criminals.
One example used was Emmanuel Constant, who was wanted in Haiti for committing atrocities but never turned over. Chomsky also spoke about Shiekh Omar Abdul Rahman, who was wanted by Egyptian authorities but never turned over. Shiekh Omar was later indicted for masterminding the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.
"Well, that worked out well didn't it," said Chomsky.
Concerning the Bush Administrations "vision" of bringing democracy to the Middle East and the world, Chomsky believes that the real candid motives of the administration are resources and the interests of corporations.
Chomsky's speech ended with an immediate standing ovation and he entertained questions for a half an hour.
The lecture was sponsored by the Political Economy Research Institute and is the first in an inaugural lecture series. The next lecture is on March 31 and will be on Economics and Consumer Culture.
I........and many hundreds of thousands like me.........served in the Armed Forces to stand against the forces of Communism (his darlings) so that this little loudmouthed prick can preen onstage at a droolingly liberal university and spout his long-discredited crap without being shot.
Those in attendance who clapped and oohed and aaahed and kissed his wrinkled ass should be ashamed to call themselves Americans.
Time to flush this piece of excrement.
"Forced imposition of market principles in countries that are militarily controlled is basically what created the Third World," he said referring to Iraq today and many other nations in the past.
Odd. I thought every country was "Third World" until Italy and the Netherlands learned how to make market capitalism work...
I don't think Chomsky offers much in the way of an ideal foreign policy any more. The last time I can recall him actually advocating a position - Cambodia - instead of sniping at someone else's, the result was a good deal of embarrassment. For his fellow travelers, of course, not the shameless Chomsky, who to this day insists that he didn't say what he said and didn't mean it that way anyway.
He has none except to proffer his usual laundry list of vague innuendos. Tactically he practically invented the labelling of American policy as "Nazi." Kissinger is another fave.
I looked though his latest books at a store. 'Nary a mention about Saudi or Iran or Iraq or Osama's motives, just Israel and Nicaragua and his usual routine. He has spoken about Iraq in the past, but faces the lefty quandry. If he opines about the years of sanctions, no fly zones, Saddam's snubs, "1,000,000 dead Iraqi babies" libel and so on his listeners would be inclined to think about Iraq as a long process of involvement, a long war, rather than the party line now espoused: Bush picked Iraq out of the blue.
He's preaching to the choir and making a bundle off them.
But Kerry is smart enough to never admit that he does.
And would you also apply that 'truism' to the Democrats, Mr. Chomsky?
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