Failed States

The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

American Empire Project

Noam Chomsky

A Metropolitan/Holt Paperbacks Book

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“It’s hard to imagine any American reading this book and not seeing his country in a new, and deeply troubling, light.”—The New York Times Book Review

The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene militarily against “failed states” around the globe. In this much-anticipated follow-up to his international bestseller Hegemony or Survival, Noam Chomsky turns the tables, showing how the United States itself shares features with other failed states—suffering from a severe “democratic deficit,” eschewing domestic and international law, and adopting policies that increasingly endanger its own citizens and the world. Exploring the latest developments in U.S. foreign and domestic policy, Chomsky reveals Washington’s plans to further militarize the planet, greatly increasing the risks of nuclear war. He also assesses the dangerous consequences of the occupation of Iraq; documents Washington’s self-exemption from international norms, including the Geneva conventions and the Kyoto Protocol; and examines how the U.S. electoral system is designed to eliminate genuine political alternatives, 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. Systematically dismantling the United States’ pretense of being the world’s arbiter of democracy, Failed States is Chomsky’s most focused—and urgent—critique to date.

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Preface
 
The selection of issues that should rank high on the agenda of concern for human welfare and rights is, naturally, a subjective matter. But there are a few choices that seem unavoidable, because they bear so directly on the prospects for decent survival. Among them are at least these three: nuclear war, environmental disaster, and the fact that the government of the world’s leading power is acting in ways that increase the likelihood of these catastrophes. It is important to stress the government, because the population, not surprisingly, does not agree.

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“Chomsky is a global phenomenon . . . perhaps the most widely read voice on
foreign policy on the planet.”—The New York Times Book Review

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About the Author

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky is the author of numerous bestselling political works, including Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, 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. Visit Noam Chomsky's website at www.chomsky.info.

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Available Formats and Book Details

Failed States
The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
American Empire Project
Noam Chomsky

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
Henry Holt and Co.
A Metropolitan/Holt Paperbacks Book
April 2007
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780805082845
ISBN10: 0805082840
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 320 pages
$17.00
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Macmillan Audio
April 2006
Unabridged Compact Disc
ISBN: 9781593979393
ISBN10: 1593979398
Audio Run Time: 14:00
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Macmillan Audio
April 2006
Unabridged Digital Audio
ISBN: 9781593979409
ISBN10: 1593979401
Audio Run Time: 14:00
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Henry Holt and Co.
Metropolitan Books
April 2006
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780805079128
ISBN10: 0805079122
6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches, 320 pages
$24.00

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Henry Holt and Co.
Metropolitan Books
April 2007
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429906401
ISBN10: 1429906405
320 pages
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