The Myth of American Idealism

"The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the incisive critiques of U.S. power that have made Noam Chomsky a "global phenomenon," one of the most widely known public intellectuals of all time. Surveying the history of U.S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and his co-author Nathan J. Robinson vividly trace the way the American pursuit of global domination has wrought havoc in country after country - without, ironically, making Americans any safer. And they explore how dominant elites in the United States have pushed self-serving myths about this country's commitment to "spreading democracy," while pursuing a reckless foreign policy that served the interest of few and endangered all too many. Chomsky and Robinson range across the globe, offering penetrating accounts of Washington's relationship with the Global South, its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -all justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and the benevolent intentions of American policy makers. The same kinds of myths that have led to repeated disastrous wars, they argue, are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China that imperil humanity's future. Examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U.S. policies are continuing to exacerbate global threats. For well over half a century, Noam Chomsky has committed himself to exposing governing ideologies and criticizing his country's unchecked use of military power. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to the conclusions he has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism"--

The Myth of American Idealism
How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers The World
 
By Noam Chomsky and Nathan J. Robinson

 
 
Table of Contents
          
Preface by Nathan J. Robinson
Introduction: Noble Goals and Mafia Logic

Part I: The Record—Idealism in Action

1. Confronting “Successful Defiance”: Disciplining the Global South
2. The War on Southeast Asia: Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia
3. 9/11 and the Wrecking of Afghanistan
4. Iraq: The Crime of the Century
5. The U.S., Israel, and Palestine
6. The Great China Threat
7. NATO and Russia After the Cold War
8. A World in Peril: The Threats of Nuclear War and Climate Catastrophe

Part II: Understanding the Power System

1. The Domestic Roots of Foreign Policy: Serving the “National Interest”
2. Our “Rules-Based” Order: The Application of International Law
3. How Mythologies are Manufactured: Propaganda and the Public Mind

           Conclusion: Hegemony or Survival?