How do you see the global power dynamic in 2008?
Noam Chomsky
Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chomsky talks about the three major world power systems: North America, Europe and Northeast Asia
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The World
Posted at:
12:57 PM on March 25, 2008
Noam Chomsky
Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Noam Avram Chomsky was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 7, 1928. He attended the University of Pennsylvania where he studied linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy. In 1955, he received his Ph. D. from the University of Pennsylvania, however, most of the research leading to this degree was done at Harvard between 1951 and 1955. Since receiving his Ph. D., Chomsky has taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he now holds the Ferrari P. Ward Chair of Modern Language and Linguistics.
Among his many accomplishments, he is most famous for his work on generative grammar, which developed from his interest in modern logic and mathematical foundations. As a result, he applied it to the description of natural languages.
His political tendencies toward socialism and anarchism are a result of what he calls “the radical Jewish community in New York.” Since 1965 he has become one of the leading critics of U.S. foreign policy. He published a book of essays called American Power and the New Mandarins which is considered to be one of the most substantial arguments ever against American involvement in Vietnam.
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With countries moving away from the US and coming together with the beginnings of a counterpart to NATO, particularly in the middle east and under the wings of Russia and China, has anyone in the US political or military wondered why? Or put another way, why haven't peoples of the world embraced the west? To attack someone because they are not like us (depersonalising)is going to push people away and into new alliances for their own survival.In turn making them more resistant to supply the means for further attacks - oil - making more resources put into obtaining oil by more and more force, giving more resitance and so on.
Surely nobody in their right mind would attack a country to start a world war? I can see what is going on in the world, to some degree, but it beggars belief as to why. It appears that a few are accumulating more wealth than they could ever know what to do with and yet they still want more. The only explanation I can come up with - and this comes from a conversation I recall aged 18 - is that those people are so afraid of dying and losing everything that they feel the only way to bury those feelings is by burying other people, which gives them more wealth and power and so the circle continues. It is, however, extremely encouraging to hear about the wonderful progress made in South America, particularly Bolivia. Hopefully, enough seeds can be planted and nurtured so that a "critical mass" of people taking rightful control of their own lives by creating societies based on common ground rather than being controlled at a distance to overwhelm the current "Deathist" philosophy currently seen in the world, with no one country having a monopoly on this not very nice way of treating fellow earth dwellers. I don't quite know what mechanisms would work, but if only these people with this power would realise I don't want to bring them down. I just want to help myself - and anyone else who asks to bring ourselves up. By now we should all be together pooling our resources and literally be travelling to the stars. How come just a few can hold the rest of humanity back. What can we do without being a cause of more draconian laws being passed in the name of anti - terrorism, but really are there and implemented to curb free speech? The gentleman detained at a New Labour rally in the UK under then recent anti terror legislation for expressing a one word opinion and criticism of a party member was ridiculous. Are we being told, albeit indirectly that truth = terror?
If you're still reading this far - thank you! What I think is dictated by my experiences and other points of view are welcome in the spirit of learning. Thanks again.