How the World Works

Noam Chomsky is one of the great intellects of our time. He is a professor at MIT and a leading scientist-philosopher and political theorist with special contributions in the areas of theoretical linguistics and cognitive science. This book is a compilation of interviews and speeches largely focused on political theory, covering a wide range of topics from NAFTA to East Timor. As a result, it is a great primer on his thought. While Chomsky’s grasp of history and world affairs is unparalleled, perhaps his greatest intellectual gift is his ability to distill the diversity and complexity of world events down to a simple picture, simply explained. Such ability for distillation, of course, often offends those whose opinions and perspectives don’t survive the distillation, either because they are inaccurate or irrelevant, which is why we don’t hear more about him in the US media. All the more reason, I believe, to hear what he has to say. The lens through which he distills the world in this book is the power of capital. It is not greed, because once you are the richest nation on the planet or individually worth more than 100 billion dollars, but will still do almost anything for more, greed is no longer rational or relevant. Power, however, is a cup that never overflows. America, Chomsky argues, has never been a democracy. And while that has always been true in a technical sense (The Electoral College and US Senate were, from the beginning, designed to be barriers to allowing the populace to control its own destiny.), he sees our constant reference to democracy as the distracting hand of the magician who is, with his other hand, picking the pockets of the world. Despite what our leaders in Washington tell us, there is no democratic ideology in American politics and foreign policy. There is only the quest for power that flows from unbridled wealth. He quotes the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London as concluding that, “while the US pays lip service to democracy, the real commitment is to ‘private, capitalist enterprise.’” In other words, our true ideology is how to further enrich and empower the corporations, hedge funds, and other capitalist cabals that own the country and the political process. As John Jay said, “The country should be governed by those who own it.” And indeed they do. If, as John Dewey put it seventy years ago, “Politics is the shadow cast on society by big business,” how have they pulled off “capital’s clear subjugation of labor,” and taken such firm control of both Americans in general, including the ones so subjugated, and the political process in particular? The simple answer is sleight of hand. Chomsky argues that for years that magical distraction was the Cold War, funneling untold wealth and the research and technology paid for by American taxpayers through the Pentagon and its proxies, through its enormous funding of research, unimaginably large spending power, and virtual guarantee that every country in the world will bow to American corporate will or suffer the might of the greatest military every assembled. The Pentagon and its proxies even created the American tech revolution, which we have naively attributed to the genius of a few young visionaries who could see the future the rest of us couldn’t, when, in fact, if was the Department of Defense and the US taxpayer who made it all possible. (And who, by the way, have never received a nickel in financial return on the investment.) With the end of the Cold War, and the realities of the tech world now emerging into the light, exposing both the limits and the evil realities it has unleashed, our government effortlessly substituted jobs as the great justifier of our continued capital pillage. And now, it seems, having created jobs that few people seem to want, (worker engagement runs at an all time low) we have once again effortlessly shifted the distracting hand of the magician to the defense of democracy. Authoritarianism, we are told, is the new enemy of freedom and prosperity. Will the sleight get enough traction to continue to fuel our brand of free market capitalism or will labor – all labor, long subjugated, insist that its voice be heard? If you are an American who believes that we are the strongest nation in the world due to the strength of our democratic institutions and that our politicians rule solely for our benefit, there is much in this book you won’t agree with. There is some I don’t agree with. But that, in my mind, is all the more reason to read it. If you can’t defend your own perspective against Chomsky’s insight and reasoning, then you are just another magician. I won’t recommend that you read this book. But I do challenge you to.

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There were some parts that were really eye opening, facts and observations; other parts were rather dull. This would explain why some parts, mostly in the front half read quickly and other parts took forever because they were rather dull. The book does show its age though, like the part where he talks about disseminating information by cassette tape. Overall a great read that I would recommend

I admit it. I simply like Dr Chomsky's no nonsense and honest approach to politics, both nationally and globally. In this, "How the World Works", Dr Chomsky is true to form and discusses the reality that lays behind the teleprompters and soundbites. Regardless of your political leanings, it seems that nearly everyone of us knows that "something" is gravely wrong with not just America, but the World. We have become a rubberless ship on a stormy sea and rocks are becoming ever more dangeriously close. We've come to instinctively distrust government, politicans, and the ever croaching police state. Washington, it seems, no longer represents us, the Amereican People. Dr Chomsky allows us to glimpse the "Man behind the Curtain", or to be more accurate, those pulling the strings behind the curtain and explains in clear cut language what's happening to us as a nation. The 314 page book is basically a series of questions and answers as asked by David Barsamian, ranging from US Foreign Policy, poverty, and the CIA to the "War on Drugs", Latin America, the future of democracy in America and much more. Some of what Dr.Chomsky says you may agree with; some of it you may not; some of it might even make you angry, but all of it will make you think and question, which is the whole point. Dr. Chomsky is regarded as one the most important intellectuals in the world today; cited 8th of the most quoted authors, behind the Bible, Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Lenin, and Sigmund Freud. I strongly urge anyone interested in US Foreign Policy, racial relations, poverty, the 'War on Drugs" or is simply concerned about America's future to read this book. It will at least get you thinking in a new way, and just perhaps, that will start you on your journey toward making a difference.

Ever wonder why extremely poor countries like those in Central and South American and the Caribbean seem so corrupt and destitute? Chomsky can help you understand the endless poverty, iniquity, and dishonesty. He can also assist your understanding of the role of the U.S. in maintaining the status quo. Depressing stuff; eye opening reading. His perspectives on the media and propaganda are especially insightful. There are those who disagree emotionally with Chomsky's view of "how the world works." But from what I've read, Chomsky backs his views up with carefully referenced public documents; his detractors prefer the fairy tale version of capitalism and "the free market," and base their comments upon emotion rather than data. Highly recommended, but be warned...depressing stuff.

I think Chomsky is pretty smart. I think he is a bit paranoid however. He keeps criticizing everything to the point I doubt any government would ever satisfy him. To me that just makes him odd. Odd man with a lot of criticism for the government. And that is my biggest beef with him. He doesn't really spell out what he thinks would work. He just complains about what is or what was. Or, maybe he thinks we should just wander the earth without a government at all. The way mankind is, we'd all be dead within a few months. Humans are killers. They need checks and balances.

Essential reading for anyone who wants to get an idea of what Noam Chomsky has been preaching for the last two decades. This book is a comilation and summary of many of his most important speeches. The editor has done a fine job of selecting the right pieces, and avoiding any repetition. I would highly recommend it to anyone of conscience who wants to know what is really happening in the world, especially related to horrendous US foreign policy

I had first heard of this book from a youtube channel named TruthLooader that cover political stories. When I got this book, I didn't know what to expect. This book essentially confirmed everything I knew about how our system works and taught me many things about our repressive system. This book should be an essential read to anyone who wants to learn about our system and wants to change the way it works. This book is very clear and concise, it's easy to read and understand.I would recommend this book to anyone but mostly students because most of what is taught in school is simply to brainwash students. They would greatly benefit from reading this book. It'll open their eyes.

Noam Chomsky, un grand intellectuel dont les travaux de réflexion et d'observation sont incontournables pour comprendre le monde dans lequel on vit.

A good introduction into the truism of the world - that governments and large businesses operate in their own interests and not in the interests of the people they are supposed to serve. I would recommend this book so someone who wants an introductory overview of democratic and anti-capitalist critiques of American foreign policy. Eye-opening insight into the mechanisms through which U.S. government controlled by major corporations routinely undermines states with legitimate democracies. However, quite a depressing read as you begin to recognise the unyielding nature of the force Chomsky attempts to combat. A good book to familiarise oneself with concepts of class warfare, global economy, third world countries wars and the roots of racism – particularly if you have been educated by Western institutions. Book does not tell you the answers but presents topics openly to reflect upon. I was personally shocked to realise the scale and history of US involvement in global warfare. This book exposed the hypocrisies absorbed alongside conventional forms of thought within modern Western societies, for example the idea that welfare encourages reliance with respect to individuals but is acceptable in terms of enabling large companies to find their feet. Obviously the book lacks stylistic form as it is a series of recorded interviews and as such can get a bit choppy. However, the format is far preferable to Chomsky’s tendency to write in long, convoluted sentences. If you found this review helpful, please do rate it as helpful – really helps me out!

For quite some time I have developed a strong interest in present and past politics. Digging a bit deeper I have come to understand that what you hear in the news is not necessarily true (A lot of people will agree). That begged the question why? Who is benefiting from that? Well, that is not easy to understand at first. There is a lot of information one needs to acquire before putting that puzzle together. Noam Chomsky has for sure a great reputation for being today's most brilliant intellectual (Interestingly more abroad than in the US). I have read many of his articles and interviews about different political subjects. Well, this book is the first I chose to read. I was a bit concerned about whether it would be easy to read or not. Everybody who knows Chomsky will most probably agree that one needs a solid knowledge in history, politics and current affairs in order to be able to follow his thoughts. However, after 20 pages I could not stop reading and have finished this book in a week. Yes, he is talking about many topics, some in more detail and some less, but at the same time providing sufficient details in order for the reader to get the big picture. This helped me a lot as I was not aware or didn't have sufficient information about certain topics. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is an eye opener. Especially for people who feel that the content of today's news are so confusing, contradictory and false. Comments such as "Politics is a dirty business and no one will really figure out the truth" are just an excuse for not dealing with current affairs in more detail (which I have done a lot myself in the past). Reading this book is a good start!