Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

The world's foremost critic of U.S. foreign policy exposes the hollow promises of democracy in American actions abroad--and at home The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene against "failed states" around the globe. In this much anticipated sequel to his international bestseller Hegemony or Survival, Noam Chomsky turns the tables, charging the United States with being a "failed state," and thus a danger to its own people and the world. "Failed states" Chomsky writes, are those "that do not protect their citizens from violence and perhaps even destruction, that regard themselves as beyond the reach of domestic or international law, and that suffer from a 'democratic deficit, ' having democratic forms but with limited substance." Exploring recent U.S. foreign and domestic policies, Chomsky assesses Washington's escalation of the nuclear risk; the dangerous consequences of the occupation of Iraq; and America's self-exemption from international law. He also examines an American electoral system that frustrates genuine political alternatives, thus impeding any meaningful democracy. Forceful, lucid, and meticulously documented, "Failed States "offers a comprehensive analysis of a global superpower that has long claimed the right to reshape other nations while its own democratic institutions are in severe crisis, and its policies and practices have recklessly placed the world on the brink of disaster. Systematically dismantling America's claim to being the world's arbiter of democracy, "Failed States "is Chomsky's most focused--and urgent--critique to date.

About the Author :
Noam Chomsky is the author of numerous bestselling political works, including "Hegemony or Survival," "Failed States, Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky">Imperial Ambitions" and "What We Say Goes." A professor of linguistics and philosophy at MIT, he is widely credited with having revolutionized modern linguistics. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Review :
"Chomsky is a global phenomenon . . . perhaps the most widely read voice on foreign policy on the planet." --The New York Times Book Review - More than one million copies of Noam Chomsky's books have been sold in the United States in the past five years - Noam Chomsky's books have been translated into more than forty languages - Noam Chomsky received the United Nations Society of Writers and Artists Award of Excellence - Each year, Noam Chomsky speaks before thousands of people on the subject of U.S. government policy - In a 2005 poll conducted by Foreign Policy Noam Chomsky was voted the world's #1 Public Intelectual " Chomsky is a global phenomenon . . . perhaps the most widely read voice on foreign policy on the planet." -- The New York Times Book Review - More than one million copies of Noam Chomsky's books have been sold in the United States in the past five years - Noam Chomsky's books have been translated into more than forty languages - Noam Chomsky received the United Nations Society of Writers and Artists Award of Excellence - Each year, Noam Chomsky speaks before thousands of people on the subject of U.S. government policy - In a 2005 poll conducted by Foreign Policy Noam Chomsky was voted the world's #1 Public Intelectual