Chomsky the Linguist Noam Chomsky

Chomsky The linguist Noam Chomsky views the government of the United States as a terrorist state for a number of reasons. According to the author, the only difference between a coercive diplomacy and terrorism is the power of the entity threatening force (Chomsky, 9-11, 13).

In his book, 9-11, Chomsky furthermore defines an act of terrorism from the point-of-view of the United States as an activity that (a) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; and (B) appears to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping." (Chomsky 16) Chomsky furthermore draws his readers' attention to the official statement of the U.S.

To "low-intensity warfare." Once again, the definition of this is very close to the definition of terrorism as set out in army manuals. Terrorism has as its aim the coercion of civilian populations for political, religious, or other kinds of purposes. Of course the attack on the World Trade Center fits this definition, being an attack with both political and religious connotations (Chomsky 57). Terrorism is further defined officially as part of state action and official doctrine, which is uncomfortably reminiscent of the official policies regarding the war on terrorism.

In the same work, as in many others, Chomsky refers to the United States as a "leading terrorist state (Chomsky 23) in relation to the rest of the world. One of the manifestations of this is the condemnation of the country by the World Court for its "unlawful use of force." Indeed, there are many examples in the violent history of the United States to substantiate the view that its use of force is adjacent to that of a terrorist organization.

Examples such as Vietnam are supplemented by the violent history of the U.S. At war even with itself. Its tendency towards force to solve its problem has translated into the present situation with Iraq and the President's "war on terrorism," which has become an act of terrorism in itself. Other examples are numerous. In the 1980s for example, Nicaragua was all but destroyed by a violent assault from the U.S.

Chomsky cites the reaction of the small country - going to court - as the correct procedure in response to a terrorist attack (Chomsky 26). What the U.S. is doing in terms of Iraq is far beyond logical and civilized behavior. Instead the country is answering in kind a terrorist attack that is illogical and unsubstantiated in international politics. Chomsky furthermore accuses the media of perpetuating the tendency towards violence as a resolution for political conflict.

When political crises such as 9/11 ensue, it is, according to Chomsky (9-11, 30), the typical reaction of the media and other intellectual entities to support the powers that be. Indeed, the country is in a vulnerable state and its populace is easy to control and influence. Thus, the principles of freedom and democracy are used to suppress not only those perceived as terrorists, but even the citizens of the United States themselves. Many atrocities have been committed against the citizens of the United States.

Not the least of these is the freedom and democracy so highly prized by the media and those in power. In fact, very few of these qualities remain in the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks. Atrocities committed against the average American include being searched at random at airports, being discriminated against on the basis of no more than race and religion, and even being incarcerated for the same reason. All this is in the name of media-imposed ideals of cherished values such as freedom and tolerance.

And the average American is willing to take this abuse in the name of the same ideals. The cycle of violence is thus escalating not only abroad, but also locally, not only in the obvious ways mentioned above, but also in more subtle ways. Militarization has for example been used as a disguise for human rights abuses throughout the United States.

Social democratic programs, as well as other concerns such as corporate globalization, environmental issues, health ensurance, and other important problems and issues are being ignored in favor of the "war on terrorism." This undermines the very way of life the American government claims to be defending. According to Chomsky, it appears that the government is prone to violence and striking out at its enemies regardless of the suffering caused to the innocent. This of course is one of the main characteristics of war.

It is especially so of the American way of war, as can be seen from evidence such as Vietnam and other countries oppressed by the U.S. All this is done in the name of the United States as "innocent victim" (Chomsky, 9-11, 35). Chomsky draws attention to the past actions of the United States, hardly showing the country as either innocent or victimized. In 1965 for example, Indonesia was taken by a U.S.-backed army, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, which included mostly landless peasants.

Chomsky's case is proven with the reaction of the West, which was unmitigated euphoria (Chomsky 67). Chomsky correctly points out that the peasants were neither armed nor harmful in any other way, and that their slaughter was comparable in kind to the crime sof Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Still, the victory was lauded as a great success accomplished through much clever planning and military prowess. To convince the masses of this, the government has a very powerful ally in the press.

Propaganda has always played a large role in waging terrible and oppressive wars. World War I is a prime example of this. Thousands of young troops were swept along in an exuberant quest for self- and general destruction (Chomsky 69). Thus, propaganda is also used in order to further the terrorist practices of the United States. The propaganda promoted by the American press is thus used by the government and others in power to cultivate a false belief system in order to benefit the government.

This is typical behavior related to terrorist states. Propaganda is used in states in order to convince the masses of false beliefs and to force them to act according to these beliefs. This is exactly what is happening in the United States. The government uses propaganda to license whatever actions it deems necessary to further its own cause and its own search for power.

Innocent persons being hurt in the process are written off as "casualties of war." Another example of such "casualties" occurred in the 1980s, with the U.S. involvement in Central America. The scale of the massacre was immense: some 200,000 persons were tortured, mutilated and murdered, with millions of orphans and refugees whose homes and lives were destroyed (Chomsky, 9-11, 79). One of the main targets during these events was the Catholic Church, whose preferential option for the poor was beyond the American comprehension.

Another very prominent victim of the United States and its power is the unfortunate country of Vietnam. The aim of the United States here was to gain as much power as possible by means of colonization. According to Chomsky in his interview with Barsamian (57), the U.S. had as its major end in Vietnam was to colonize and to dominate and most of all to keep the country from establishing its own autonomy and power.

The government's attitude towards the devastation is neutral and self-righteous, with the premise that all that has been done was in the interest of humanity and humanitarian rights. This argument is especially poignant and at the same time heinous when used in conjunction with the defense of precious "American Values." It is then the "wanton killing of innocent civilians," as Chomsky (76) terms it, that the author uses as the central premise for his belief that the government of the United States is essentially terrorist in nature.

The United States' terrorist activities do not however remain on an individual level. They are also closely connected in arms deals and the like with countries known for their own terrorist dealings. A case in point is the 1990s, during which Turkey received 80% of its arms from the U.S., in order to launch its counterinsurgency campaign (Chomsky 86). Once again the result was every possible atrocity against human life, freedom and dignity - all ideals promoted by the U.S. government as still existing within its borders.

According to Chomsky, tens of thousands were killed during the campaign, while 203 million were driven from their homes, and 3,500 villages destroyed. The increase of arms provision continued from 1984-1999 in Turkey, after which it declined as a result of the campaign reaching its goal and coming to an end. It is however as if the United States government was looking for needy terrorists to supply with arms. When Turkey's need was met, Colombia became the leading recipient of arms from the United States.

This country is well-known for being an atrocious human rights violator, especially during the 1990s. Chomsky's premise that the United States government is essentially terrorist in nature does not appear to be far from realistic. Indeed, according to interviews conducted with Chomsky by Barsamian (2001), Chomsky elaborates on the more subtle practices perpetrated by the U.S. government in order to coerce its public into obedience. The Reagan administration for example put barriers in place in order to boost the U.S.

industry rather than providing its citizens with the best possible products available. Thus, overseas dealers were barred to the point of impossibility while the public funds were put to use in order to keep the local industry alive (Barsamian 17). Chomsky accuses the American education system of producing automatons from curious and creative children (Barsamian 19). Schooling in the United States then is designed to provide a mold according to which children are taught to behave, stop thinking and remain out of trouble.

This produces an obedient number of efficient producers who never ask questions and never to change the order of things. Americans are taught to accept things as they are and join the consumerist society. This is a particularly subtle way that the government uses to subdue its public into docile obedience. Once again, this is reminiscent of the most tyrannical of dictatorships. Another of Chomsky's main premises is that the United States is accutely aware of its own power, and enjoys this knowledge (Barsamian 38).

It is also not an empty knowledge, as a threat of force from the United States is certainly something to be taken seriously. The United States thus use the power it is fully aware of having in order to intimidate those with less power to conced to the more powerful country's demands. Furthermore the American government does not hesitate to demonstrate its power to those who dare oppose it. This is true of everyone harboring "anti-American" sentiments.

One of the examples mentioned by Chomsky (Barsamian 166) is Bertrand Russell, one of the few intellectuals who opposed World War I. Ending up in jail, he was furthermore criticized in american circles as a crazy old man. The problem with him was that he actually stood behind what he believed in by means of action rather than only words. This was something that could not be tolerated in a society that advocated non-action and compliance rather than thinking for oneself.

Chomsky uses the example of Albert Einstein as opposed to Russell to demonstrate his point. Einstein was essentially in agreement, especially on nuclear weapons, with Russell. Nonetheless, when the time for demonstration and opposition actually arrived, Einstein played the role of a typical intellectual and fled the field to continue his studies. Russell remained in the streets with those who opposed atrocities such as the Vietnam war. He also became an active agent in opposing nuclear weapons, which both he and Einstein believed could destroy the human race.

Russell, because he opposed the American ideal of war at all cost and for the purpose of furthering the American image, was denounced as anti-American. Einstein on the other hand, who did not oppose any of the political atrocities committed by his country, was deemed a hero. This further proves that the United States government approves a unitary, single-minded approach, completely compliant with the government and its policies.

It is therefore not a true democracy, and the preached ideals of liberty and the "American way of life" are simply disguises for the true despotic government leading the country. Chomsky uses his linguistic skills to indict the United States government for its use of constructed ideals to create the appearance of correctness for the crimes committed against humanity. This, according to Chomsky, is a "standard technique of belief formation" (Barsamian 167).

A framework is constructed to make what the American government is doing in its own interest appear right or even moral. The same is true of other oppressive governments. Some eastern governments for example use religion to oppress women. It is therefore obvious that the American government has proved itself to be a terrorist state. Its actions both abroad and domestically have shown that they have a hidden agenda of terrorism both against perceived enemies and their own population.

The government acts only in its own self-interest and with the aim of furthering its own monopoly of power. In an interview with Gabric, Chomsky addresses the issue of the United States and its involvement in the Middle East. The United States is backing a major military power against the defenseless Palestinians. Once again, the situation is typically terroristic. The United States helps a major force to occupy and abuse the rights of a minor country with few resources.

The U.S.-Israel coalition has also been guilty of violating the Fourth Geneva Convention by settling the areas of occupied territories and controlling the water resource of the West Bank. The Israelis have been able to accomplish this only because of the major power of the U.S. In backing them with military, economic, dimplomatic and ideological support (Gabric). It appears that all U.S. involvement with such conflicts leads to violence.

Indeed, Chomsky mentions the latest offensive that resulted in an international scandal because of its violence and destruction. This is a classic case in which the United States government is using its power to create a reality from a lie. Sharon has for example been described as a "man of peace" even while being provided with all the means necessary to perpetuate the violence. Furthermore, the humiliation of the national Palistinian figure, Arafat, has served its purpose to further degrade an already vulnerable country.

Indeed, degredation has been part of the United States' violent and oppressive history since its inception. This could be testified by all oppressed groups, including American Indians, African-Americans and other minority groups. In terms of the events of September 11, 2001, this great national disaster has also been used for the gain of the government more than anything else.

It has been seen above that President Bush's "war on terrorism" has spawned a number of human rights violations, such as persons singled out for searches and detention when they have committed no crime other than being of Arabian or similar origin. This is blatant discrimination as a result of religion and culture, and should not be tolerated in a society that prides itself on its policies of democracy and freedom.

President Bush used the vulnerability of the American people to impose policies of discipline and obedience, terrorising the population with unannounced house searches and the like. The same vulnerability was exploited to implement domestic programs opposed by the population, under the guise of patriotism (Gabric). Patriotism according to this definition requires Americans to keep quiet while accepting whatever atrocities the American government imposes upon them.

The same was done in Israel and in Chechnya, where repressive activities were intensified as a means of "fighting against terrorism." Chomsky (Gabric) voices his surprise that the September 11 events had a rather abrasive effect on the American people. Indeed, there is a tedency towards more critical consideration of issues that were previously accepted without question. These include the U.S. role in the Middle East and local issues relating to human rights and freedoms. The press of course is attempting to suppress this upsurge of protest by denying it.

Chomsky however cites a variety of examples of demands for talks, the engagement of audiences and the sale of books promoting the idea that the government is engaging in terrorist activities that should be addressed if indeed the American way of life is to be preserved. According.