Noam Chomsky Lectures on Modern-Day American Imperialism: Middle East and Beyond

This is always going to be relevant. Hearing it for the first time. 2022

8:00 Noam begins 8:20 “Talking about American Imperialism is like talking about triangular triangles.” Only country he knows that was founded as an empire. Has never changed. Borrowed from Britain and before them the Roman empire. 9:30 Benjamin Franklin complains about limited expansion 10:30 Thomas Jefferson 11:30 US tried to invade Canada. Blocked by Britain 12:25 John Quincy Adams, Manifest Destiny 13:20 John Lewis Gaddis (sp?) most respected historian on Cold War. 15:20 no congress declaring war. Model ever since. 21:05 Woodrow Wilson atrocities in Haiti Quotes Of Woodrow Wilson 23:00 ww2 27:15 propaganda and colleges 27:45 the middle east in Latin America 28:30 Southeast Asia 29:40 Africa 30:45 examples to read of fanatic jingoism. NSE68 Book “Washington’s China” by Peck 31:50 Latin America “our resources” 32:30 Cold War 33:30 “radical nationalism” aka sovereign countries who don’t do what we want. Even the smallest place could become a serious danger. Henry Kissinger 35:30 A couple of weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall the US invaded panama. For Noriega, who committed crimes while on CIA payroll 38:30 what US said after Cold War. Middle East. Needs reason to invade. Can no longer blame Soviet Union. 41:10 Hillary Clinton, if Iran attack Israel 42:35 resistance from other countries equals aggression, 42:40 Vietnam 43:25 Iran “aggression “ 44:50 Condolezza Rice, Iraq, brainwashed by US education Financial weapons 47:55 two principals: 1. We own the world. 2. Everything we do is with the best of intentions. No evidence required 49:00 Vietnam, several millions died, “blundering efforts to do good” 50:00 establishing democracy in Vietnam was like Soviet Union establishing democracy in other countries 50:30 historian Arthur Schleshinger , war hawk, on Vietnam 70% of populace was anti-war, but “educated” sector never spoke of that. 52:15 should read, but it taught, final parts of The Pentagon Papers. Wanted to send more troops it worried about anti-war protest and social unrest. 53:50 parallels Vietnam and Iraq, no principled critique 55:30 John Berns, senior correspondent quote. America stabilizes the world and always does good no matter what the population or the rest of the world experiences ***57:55 “Current George Bush after 9/11 asked ‘Why do they hate us?’ Cause of our Freedoms’ and so on. You remember that. What the press should’ve reported is that he was just repeating a question that President Eisenhower asked in 1958. Eisenhower asked his staff ‘Why is there a campaign of hatred against us among the people of the Middle East?’ And the National Security Council, the highest planning agency, had provided an answer. They said the people in the Middle East, their perception is that The United States supports brutal tyrannies, and blocks democracy and development, and does so because we want control of their oil. And then they went on to say ‘Yeah, their perception is more or less correct and that’s the way it ought to be.’ So therefore there’s a campaign of hatred against us. And so it continues.” 58:50 Wall St Journal conducted some polls in Middle East 1:01:15 book “A Different kind of war” 1:03:40 what about Iran? 1:08:00 Israel Palestinian solution Everyone agrees except US and Israel 1:11:30 Q&A 1:12:00 Question: undermining Chomsky’s credibility ***1:17:40 Question: US undermining foreign food markets with farm subsidies. Ethanol. NAFTA drives Mexican farmers out of business cause they can’t compete with US subsidies, leave Mexico but ten we hold walls 1:21:45 destruction of Haitian economy by Bill Clinton policies 1:24:15 question: might the US foment violence to further action in Iran? 1:27:45 Iraq was the first war in history that was extremely protested before it started that he can remember 1:28:00 US didn’t care about Vietnam being wiped off the map. Eisenhower mentioned in build up to war rubber and tin but that was a joke. Vietnam had no resources of significance to the United States. Concern of Vietnam waste virus infection theory. Deep concern that independent development in Vietnam might inspire other countries. Didn’t care about Vietnam’s resources at all. That’s why we could destroy it. Iraq is not the same. We want to cheap oil 1:33:30 Question: manufacturing consent: talk of North Korea building a nuclear reactor In Syria. Israel was able to successfully wipe it out. What’s your take? Piece on NPR’s of the story only covered half the story. ***1:39:15 Question: US support of dictators in Latin America, middles East, even support of Saddam Hussein. Most people are unaware. How can we educate them? 1:39:50 most people don’t know we supported Saddam Hussein or the extent to which we supported him. 1982 Reagan removes Iraq from list of terrorist states. Aka countries we want to go after. In order to proved aid to Saddam Hussein right through his worst atrocities. 1989 invites Iraq for nuclear weapons production US was upset when he disobeyed and invaded Kuwait. Authorized him to crush rebellion Thomas Friedman, New York Times propagandist ***1:48:40 Latin America question Awesome response

There are some people in this world who are real honest human beings that do a great service to humanity ⚖️

Thanks for posting! Excellent lecture with many illuminating points, sad that more people don’t understand our horrible imperial history

wow! how he reacts to the first questioner is immensly impressive.

Thank you for such beautiful video.

Has the first questioner recovered from having been badly burned from every word by Chomsky?

Not only did I get to watch this awesome speech I got to watch noam light the first questioner up with straight facts

12 years after this talk every opinnion of yours is stil updated. Congrats and thank you for keeping my mind stil sane in 2022. (English is not my first language. Sorry)

Boston University, thank you very much for posting on YouTube this excellent lecture by Prof. Chomsky.

The clap back from Chomsky lmao

And we'll take the first question from Mr. Shillster.....

This is a must-see for the 8 billion people around our planet !!!

At no moment are his seeming-tangents at all tangents and that is the subtle and profound that is Noam Chomsky. This is an incredible lecture; one of the best I've ever seen.

Noam starts at 8:13

A man with a towering intelligence and massive memory, erudite in many fields, the father of new linguistics, a quiet courteous scholar who seemingly applies a simple rule in his critical evaluation of political behaviour —which may be his version of Kant's categorical imperative—expect that you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others! Chomsky is one one of the great men of our era! Be grateful if you have met him.

TEN YEARS AGO!!! Nothing has changed. Well, okay, it's a lot worse.

Even back in 2010, (resistance = agression) he is touching on the current love of labeling anyone who opposes oppressive rule as a "terrorist."

After this lecture we all should take a moment and think about the US? What a brutal state

This is that American history you don't learn in school.