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The Myth of American Idealism

How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World

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The Myth of American Idealism

By: Noam Chomsky, Nathan J. Robinson
Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

From one of the world’s most prominent thinkers comes an urgent warning of the threat that US power poses to humanity’s future

The land of the free. The home of the brave. But what has America achieved in the aim of ‘spreading democracy’ — except wreak havoc across the globe and establish a reckless foreign policy that serves the interest of few and has endangered all too many?

In this timely book, Noam Chomsky writing with Nathan J. Robinson, vividly traces America’s pursuit of global domination, offering an incisive critique of the self-serving myths that dominant elites in the United States continue to push.

Offering penetrating accounts of Washington’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they examine how interventions such as these have been justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and benevolent intentions but are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China.

At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to the conclusions Noam Chomsky has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism.

'One of the greatest, most radical public thinkers of our time. When the sun sets on the American empire, as it will, as it must, Noam Chomsky's work will survive' Arundhati Roy

'The west's most prominent critic of US imperialism . . . the closest thing in the English-speaking world to an intellectual superstar' Guardian

© Nathan J. Robinson and Noam Chomsky 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

 Americas Colonialism & Post-Colonialism Politics & Government United States Middle East Iran Imperialism War Military Socialism Cyber Warfare Russia American Foreign Policy
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Critic reviews

The most accessible and coherent introduction to Chomsky's ideas. Chomsky's virtues are in abundant evidence here. He writes with absolute clarity and a withering sarcasm . . . Reading Chomsky can be truly eye-opening for those unaware of what he reveals: facts that are rarely discussed in the mainstream American media or in its schools
A foundational document that would make for good introductory education for a public more resistant to this propaganda . . . Through exhaustive research into the way Americans—government officials, soldiers, journalists—have discussed American foreign policy over the years, Robinson and Chomsky tell a sweeping story of American aggression and amorality in language that is simple, even innocent . . . An incredibly valuable teaching tool for teenagers and young adults as they become politically engaged
Offers rich food for thought . . . the authors’ top-versus-bottom analysis becomes strikingly perceptive in a final chapter analyzing how today a global elite benefits from world-killing fossil fuels
Written in a direct, no-nonsense style, full of shrewd analysis and layered with potent details, it is an excellent summary—and condemnation—of how the United States has shaped the world since it became a global superpower after World War II . . . The Myth of American Idealism should become required reading for those seeking to learn about the blood-soaked history of the American Empire. Without a doubt, Chomsky and Robinson have fulfilled their responsibility as intellectuals to speak the truth and to expose lies
[This book] couldn’t be more timely. An outspoken critic of American empire for most of his life, here Chomsky zeroes in on the myths underlying that imperial expansion, namely the idea that the spread of democracy (no matter the methods) is an unalloyed good. The problem, of course, is that powerful men in small rooms who think themselves both wise and just tend to do the most damage
Noam Chomsky has been proved right . . . The record of hypocrisy recounted by Chomsky and Robinson is sobering and convincing. No open-minded reader could absorb this book and continue to believe the pious rationales that U.S. leaders invoke to justify their bare-knuckled actions
Insightful, scathingly honest . . . For well over half a century a rare voice of sanity and reason in the wilderness of American hypocrisy, lies, and dissembling, [Chomsky] is high on my list of American patriot heroes . . . Robinson, too, is a truth teller
A potent critique of the ideology behind America’s foreign interventions and its status as a global power, and a treatise on how the nation’s hubristic pursuit of 'spreading democracy' threatens not only the delicate balance of global peace, but the already-declining health of our planet. Who it’s for: Chomskyites; policy wonks and casual critics of American recklessness alike
All stars
Most relevant
Although Chomsky is listed as an author,
I believe Nathan J. Roberts’s here is pulling almost all the weight, with Chomsky being a name to attract publishing sales. Nathan has done a fantastic job on this book, and I believe this is a fantastic book for both informed and new persons wishing to understand criticism of American foreign policy.

For newer people to politics I believe this book is much more accessible than Manufacturing consent (although both serve different purposes). The narrator also does a fantastic job of conveying emphasis to important claims.

This book was written before Oct 7th, and therefore if the book was to be released today Its chapters would no doubt be written slightly differently while maintaining the same criticism (if not more so).

Overall great read.

Critical analysis and criticism backed by history.

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So you don't really need any more information.
Erudite analysis presented clearly without the self serving waffle of our politicians.

Noam Chomsky wrote this.

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