APRIL 10, 2003 - THE METROPOLITAN - PAGE 19
Chomsky tells of propaganda war from CHOMSKY on 14 - - - - -
·-
"The disparity of force is so extraordinary and seen in both stories, but differently presented. On one side it's with rejoicing, and on the other it's a little less exuberant," Chomsky said. "This achievement of propaganda is pretty spectacular," Chomsky said. "The United States is completely alone in these beliefs; nobody shares them." Chomsky said the two different views of the war are so radically different that it's becoming a serious concern for the U.S. policy planners, and as a consequence it's becoming a maj or story in the mainstream press. "Bush asked, ' why do they hate us?' That's kind of a silly question. They don't hate us; they hate (our) policies," Chomsky said. "There is a reason why they hate you, Mr. Bush. and your friends: because of what you do. What you and your cronies have done in the last year has led to enormous hatred and fear. The U.S. is feared by much of the world." According to Chomsky, some answers were provided to the current administration on why Americans are being viewed w ith distain, but so far they have all been systematically evaded. The world is more concerned about the unbridled use of American power than it is w ith the threat of Saddam Hussein. "In fact, the world didn't see much of a threat of Saddam Hussein, including the countries right nearby. They hate him, but they know that he's no threat to any other countries. (Iraq is) the weakest country in the region, it was smashed by the 1991 war, and it' s been absolutely devastated by U.S. I British Sanctions," Chomsky said. Chomsky said the effect of the war in the Arab and Muslim world is very dramatic. There is a growing hatred of America, which is now being perceived as a violent and cruel aggressor, relying on its command of an overwhelming force to crush whomever stands in its way. Chomsky said in the future, the voice of people in the Middle East is going to be that of radical Islam, calling for a war against America and its secular nationalism. Recent polls con- · ducted by a well-known Middle Eastern scholar at the University of Maryland, found that a majority of people from all over the Arab world want Islamic clergy to play a greater role in their own governments. "(Middle Easterners) hated Saddam, and still do, but know they are admiring him because he's standing up to the savage Americans, and in death he will probably become an even greater hero than he is now," Chomsky said.
by Will Moore - The Metropolitan Audience members applaud Dr. Noam Chomsky as he concludes a lecture given April 4. In the lecture, Dr. Chomsky criticized the recent attempts by the ,.. United States at international diplomacy and tne current war with Iraq.
Chomsky said that about 95 percent of the people living in the Middle East are convinced that the United States has no interest in the region beyond its oil interests. They see the United States as protecting Israeli power, and they see it as humiliating Arabs and Muslims. "We can choose to live in a cocoon, kind of admiring ourselves," Chomsky said. "That' s not necessarily the wisest course; it's not a particularly admirable one either." Chomsky said George Bush and "his associates" have turned the United States into a pariah state that is greatly feared throughout the world. And now, the United States is regarded as the greatest threat to world peace. According to Chomsky, the New York Times published a story, which said, there are
Chomsky: love him or don't from a point of view that is difficult to empathize with because of a lack of understanding and acknowledgement of contrary viewpoints. "You can tell he's coming form a totally different world then you are," said Rocha. "He was so into what he was saying and I was thinking, I can't relate. I can't take a stand or argue with that because this guy's way far and above my way of thinking. I don't want to say I was dissatisfied with it, I was intrigued, but it was his world." Rocha also said that Chomsky's critsism of both the Regan and Bush presidential administrations was lacking the understanding ofthe immense responsibility of decision making among America's leadership. "Regardless of Watergate or the Kennedy's of Bush, those guys up there make very difficult decisions," said Rocha. ''This guy doesn't know, he hasn't been up there. He's never made those decisions, he may have studied the issues in depth, and he's always going to have that lack of understanding."
from REACTIONS on 1 s - - - - -
~ -
view, which would remain otherwise inaccessible in mainstream media. "He's an incredible gateway," said Ekundayo. "Who gets to see Chomsky. Who's even heard of him?" 'The majority of this county gets their information from mainstream media and that's it Unless you are in an academic setting, you are not going to have known who this man is." Not everyone had gushing reactions to Chomsky though. Although impressed by the thoroughness and depth of Chomsky's research and insights into war and its consequences, Metro student, Jose Rocha said that the speech left him feeling alienated and unable to relate to the ideas being presented. "This man is obviously devoted, knows his book sources and to what he's speaking about," said Rocha. "He defiantly made a point and he made sense but he was so far out there." According to Rocha, Chomsky spoke W-1#
'11
-
f1
..
~ I
'
•
I
•
•
•
h
"
....
t
'I
•
t..
I
4
\..
now two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion. Chomsky said he didn't believe this was an incorrect description. ''You might search your history books, and see if you can find anything remotely comparable," Chomsky said. "It's enormous. It's quite an achievement. So how did Bush and his associates manage to make themselves the most feared and hated political leadership in the world, shaming their county and, in fact, endangering the population?" Chomsky said some of the worlds antiAmerican sentiment began last September with the public presentation of the national security strategy. The policy that was declared is sometimes called, by the press and elsewhere, a "preemptive war," but Chomsky said that's a mistake. It's not a preemptive war; a preemptive war has a meaning, falling loosely within the framework of existing international law. "It's called a preventive war. Preventive means you are going to prevent anyone who might challenge you. But even that goes too far, because the U.S. government assigns to itself the right to decide who is a potential challenge," Chomsky said. "The word prevent isn't really correct, it's any challenge they invent or create, which means, essentially, authorization to attack anyone that you like." The foreign policy elite in the United States are afraid, Chomsky said, because the policy is likely to lead to hostile reactions from other countries. ''Nobody can deter the United Stated by force, but there are other ways, like weapons of mass destruction," Chomsky said "Or terror, and so it's likely to lead to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and terror, and other means to try to control a superpower which has announced clearly that it intends to run the world by force, and to attack anyone it likes. That was the doctrine that was announced." Chomsky said, the current administration is following a formula of creating paranoia and fear in order to stay in power. This was the formula used by both George Bush Senior and President
Regan during their terms. Typically, these administrations start off with huge tax cuts, benefiting the rich and creating huge deficits which, Chomsky said, means cutting services for the general population and retaining benefits for a small sector of the American public. These policies, he said, become very unpopular with the general population. The administration then creates an atmosphere of fear, in order to stay in public power. "If you frighten people enough, they will huddle under the umbrella of power," Chomsky said. "You keep pushing the panic button. Ifpeople are afraid, wel~ they may vote for the powerful to be protected That's pretty much what happened." Chomsky gave examples of Bush Senior's war on drugs, and Regan's war with Grenada. "These thing work. They don't work very Jong, but they frighten people if you keep at it, and people will stay frightened," Chomsky said. Chomsky said the United States has an obvious ulterior motive in regard to Iraq. He said it has been the United States' goal to be in control of Middle Eastern oil reserves since World War II, and Iraq is extremely important because it has the second largest oil reserves in the world. ''The purpose is not really access to oil; it's control over oil," Chomsky said. "When you control the enormous resource, you, for one thing, control the material wealth that flows from it. But more significant than that, you have a lever of ~ world control." Chomsky said Americans are the most privileged people in the world, thanks to the struggles of many of our predecessors who left a legacy of freedom that we can use. And what Americans lack is not the means to make a difference, but the will to. "You know, the government really has no power to do any of these things," Chomsky said. "It has as much power as people are going to allow it to have. We're living in a very free country, and it got that way through struggle, and it can be kept that way through struggle."