Early Roots
Noam Chomsky lectures on modern-day American imperialism: Middle East and beyond
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Noam Chomsky,an emeritus professor of linguistics at Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology and a well-known political activist critical of U.S. foreignpolicy, traces modern-day American imperialism to its earliest roots,25 years before the American Revolution. If it weren’t for Britishforces preventing America’s expansion, claims Chomsky, Canada wouldn’texist today.
Chomsky says the current war in Iraq can be tracedback to the U.S. invasion of Florida during Andrew Jackson’sadministration, which was an “executive war in violation of theconstitution, a precedent that has been followed ever since.”
Hecompares the United States to a Mafia “godfather,” crushing third worldcountries like disobedient shop owners who don’t pay their protectionmoney, so others will get the point. The United States, he says, has areputation as “the most frightening and dangerous country in the world.”
Chomskyclaims that those in power in Washington, in London, in editorialoffices, and in universities are defying the world — the majority ofthe world’s people, including most of the U.S. population, are againstthe war in Iraq, agree with the Group of 77 at the United Nations,which approves of Iran’s right to enrich uranium for nuclear power, andsupport the rights of Palestinian peasants who were removed from theirland by Israel.
But there is hope, and according to Chomsky, itlies with South America — whose countries are banding together to workagainst the oppressive forces of the United States by weakening thepresence of American military and strengthening their own economies.The failed attempt of the United States to overturn the results of therecent democratic election in Bolivia is one example of this glimmer ofhope.
April 24, 2008, 6 p.m.
School of Law Auditorium
About the speaker:
Noam Chomsky earned a Ph.D. in linguistics in 1955 at the University of Pennsylvania and came to Massachusetts Institute of Technologythe same year. In 1961 he was appointed a full professor in thedepartment of linguistics and philosophy and in 1976 an InstituteProfessor.
Chomsky has received honorary degrees from more than two dozen universities around the world. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the National Academy of Science, a Foreign Member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts,and a member of several other professional and learned societies in theUnited States and abroad. He has received the Distinguished ScientificContribution Award of the American Psychological Association, the Kyoto Prizein Basic Sciences, the Helmholtz Medal, the Dorothy Eldridge PeacemakerAward, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science,the Adela Dwyer/St. Thomas of Villanova Peace Award, and others.
Hehas written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy,intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs, andU.S. foreign policy.
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