Text 1097, 95 rader
Skriven 2006-06-12 13:14:02 av WAYNE CHIRNSIDE (1:123/140)
Ärende: Failed States
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Some suggested reading.
The book "Failed States" by Noam Chomsky is on my mandatory reading list
for next month for the following reasons outlined.
M.I.T. professor was also on "Charlie Rose"on PBS 6-12-2006
Now I'm off to download the PDF of his entire speech to the U.N.
available at the URL below

http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/06/71076.shtml
6/6/2006

The foremost critic of U.S. foreign policy dropped by the United Nations
on Monday.

By Donald Paneth

Chomsky discussed everything from U.S.-Iranian relations to climate
change to his favorite newspaper during a wide-ranging two-hour press
conference.

Keywords: War & Peace, Analysis, Local, Activism,
By Donald Paneth

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.,??Do you think the United States will attack Iran??
 I asked.

Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics and philosophy at MIT who has
been described by the New York Times as ?the most important intellectual
alive,? replied: ?There?s pretty good evidence the Pentagon is against
it.
U.S. intelligence is against it. But the quasi-fascist element in the
administration ? Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice ? might decide to do it. They
might just decide to hit the whole system with a sledge hammer and see
what happens.?

Chomsky answered questions from the U.N. press corps for more than two
hours Monday afternoon, from 1 to 3:15 p.m. The occasion was the
publication of his new book, Failed States: The Abuse of Power and
the Assault on Democracy.

He displayed a remarkable depth of knowledge about world affairs and
access to a wide array of popular and academic sources. He spoke in
detail and his memory went back many years. His replies also reflected
his travels, for example, to southeast Turkey where Turkish troops have
victimized the Kurdish population.

?The species is gonna blow itself up,? Chomsky said, in a general
observation unrelated to the U.S.-Iranian impasse, ?if nuclear materials
aren?t brought under international control.?

He urged the adoption of vigorous and positive climate policies.
?It?s possible that we?re past the tipping point.
But the longer you wait, the worse the impact is gonna be.?

He was critical of U.S. and Israeli steps with relation to the
Palestinian territories, saying that the building of a separation wall
was not only a violation of international law as determined by the
World Court but part of Israeli annexation policy.

?The Congo is the worst on-going atrocity in the world,? he continued.
?I can?t think of a sensible way to do anything about it,? and he
added, ?Any intervention has to be very carefully evaluated, has to
work out the consequences of that.?

?Corporations are illegitimate, created by judicial intervention 80,
90 years ago, with the rights of individuals,? he observed.
?Conservatives of the period condemned their establishment as a return
to feudalism.?

Recent developments in Latin America are ?very important,? he said.
?They significantly threaten U.S. control. For the first time, Latin
America is moving towards independence.?

On the subject of newspapers, Chomsky declared that ?The Financial Times
may be the best paper in the world. It?s the first paper I look at in
the
morning.? He was thinking of its coverage of events, its editing, its
special reports, its thoughtful expression of opinions.

About 60 U.N. correspondents attended. Each received a review copy of
Chomsky?s book, published by Henry Holt and Co. It considers world
affairs, beginning with the nuclear dilemma. ?The world has not
renounced
war,? he writes. Quite the contrary ,,, The risk of nuclear destruction
highlighted by [Bertrand] Russell and [Albert] Einstein is not
abstract?.?

He offers as solutions 1) accept the jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court and the World Court; 2) sign and carry forward the Kyoto
protocols; 3) let the U.N. take the lead in international crises;
4) rely on diplomatic and economic measures rather than military ones
in confronting terror; 5) keep to the traditional interpretation of
the U.N. charter; 6) give up the Security Council veto; and 7) cut
back sharply on military spending and increase social spending.
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