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U*S.A. a Leading Terrorist State- Chomsky |
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bhaloo |
05/27/02 at 02:37:31 |
[slm] The United States A "Leading Terrorist State, Says Chomsky http://www.islam-online.net/english/News/2002-05/24/article14.shtml NEW YORK, May 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - With more than 125,000 copies sold in 22 countries and translated into 19 foreign languages, Noam Chomskys latest book entitled 9-11 is another international bestseller. Prominent left-wing Jewish American academic Noam Chomsky offers a realistic perspective of the events of September 11 in this book 9-11 which includes a collection of transcripts of interviews Chomsky gave to journalists from various countries following the attacks. In 9-11, Noam Chomsky dissects the root causes of the September 11 incident, the historical precedents for it, and the possible outcomes as the United States responds with its "new war on terrorism." Chomsky told Agence France-Persse (AFP) that his book alarmed many Americans, who started to question the causes behind the attack on America in particular and to pay attention to whats happening around them in the world. For Chomsky, the atrocities of 9-11 are something quite new in world affairs, marking the first time since 1812 that the U.S. mainland was attacked. Noam Chomsky, an internationally respected political analyst, linguist and radical intellectual, makes some bold statements condemning the United States, its politicians and policies, as he refers to the United States as a "leading terrorist state," using as an example the Reagan administration's invasion of Nicaragua in the 1980s and the subsequent "devastating economic war" in that country. Though the invasion was condemned by the World Court, the United States responded by ignoring the ruling and escalating its attack on the country, killing thousands of people in the process. Chomsky believes that the attacks have been harmful in ways that extend far beyond the initial death toll and ongoing national emergency. For example, he believes they represent a devastating blow to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. He also discussed in detail the Clinton administration's bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan in August 1988, which destroyed much of Sudan's medical-supply capabilities and denied necessary and affordable pharmaceutical products to the Sudanese people, resulting in large numbers of deaths from easily treatable diseases. In his book, he explains that such examples could be considered acts of terrorism if viewed from the side of the victims. If the United States were subjected to an act resulting in the starvation of a large number of U.S. citizens, it would be difficult to imagine that act being regarded as anything other than terrorism. But that is essentially what happened in Afghanistan after the United States demanded that Pakistan seal its borders with the country and cut off food aid to the Afghan people before the start of the U.S. bombing campaign, he said. Chomsky argues for an international rule of law; existing bodies such as the U.N. and World Court must be given credence and then relied upon. React with extreme violence, he writes, and expect to escalate the cycle of violence, leading to still further atrocities such as the one that is inciting the call for revenge. But if the goal is to reduce the probability of further atrocities, then rather follow lawful procedure, presenting the evidence and letting independent world bodies direct the appropriate response. As for why the attack happened, Chomsky writes that this question is rarely raised in a serious way. And he adds: To refuse to face this question is to choose to increase significantly the probability of further crimes of this kind. Noam Chomsky was born December 7, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His undergraduate and graduate years were spent at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his PhD in linguistics in 1955. During the years 1951-1955, Chomsky was a Junior Fellow of the Harvard University Society of Fellows. While a Junior Fellow, he completed his doctoral dissertation entitled, "Transformational Analysis." Professor Chomsky has received honorary degrees from many worldwide universities. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Science. In addition, he is a member of other professional and learned societies in the United States and abroad. Chomsky has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs and U.S. foreign policy. Although has latest book contains several repetitive responses to similar questions, Chomsky told the book's editor: "These facts have been completely removed from history. One has to practically scream them from the rooftops." |
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