Noam Chomsky: US Terrorism

Noam Chomsky delivers the 5th Annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture: The Unipolar Moment and the Culture of Imperialism at Columbia University School for International Affairs for the Heyman Center for the Humanities. After paying homage to Edward Said's stressing imperialism as central to our culture Chomsky builds his case with telling quotes of American leaders rationalizing and denying extermination of Native Americans on through US terrorism in Latin and South America, like in Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, and the Middle East. camera, audio: Joe Friendly

[@SweetDissident]

He's delivered at least 2 lectures since this one. He stays really active.

[@redsam888]

I have watched hours and hours of Noma chomsky lectures. The more i watch the more helpless i feel. The clarity and percison of his topics are brilliant. When will we wake up??

[@michaelweber5702]

red -- Wake up to what ? Every country and society has done wrong as well as done right in the time they create their political system , we as well as ALL others . As it has turned out the United States , at the very least has built one of the fairest one of the most just representative democracies the world has ever seen . Should we and every other country on earth destroy ourselves , either committing suicide or mistreat ourselves by attempting to become a communist society which will bring totalitarianism , an unjust dessert , as punishment ? What does the professor , Dr. Chomsky think ?

[@051963mf]

Que viva Noam Chomsky…Long life to Mr Chomsky.

[@ericcloud1023]

Chomsky is a modern secular Saint! His call to truth has been blunted and suppressed into obscurity to the average citizen, I barely discovered him 3yrs ago. Noam, keep speaking the truth. One day your fellow citizens will awaken, and you'll be remembered then as one of the great alarm clocks who woke us.

[@joefriendly]

The talk was given December 3, 2009 as the 5th Annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture and its original title was The Unipolar Moment and the Culture of Imperialism.

[@LowellBDennyIII]

This guy, Joefriendly, posts the GREATEST STUFF!!!!!!!!!

[@joefriendly]

Yes, the Chomsky Unipolar Moment Q and A session is posted on the JoeFriendly Channel, twice at this point , with the only difference being what is Before and After the full Chomsky Q and A session.

[@JoeStunner]

As much as I admire to Professor Chomsky and bow to his towering intellect, I'm always tempted to buy him a new sweater - or should I say, a SECOND sweater?

[@jamesdelaney5807]

He's a utilitarian. Unlike fat capitalism, Mr Chomsky is not decadent.

[@jamesdelaney5807]

He's a utilitarian. Unlike fat capitalism, Mr Chomsky is not decadent.

[@joefriendly]

Thanks, Lowell. Have you all seen the other Chomsky talk just up on the JoeFriendly channel, his June talk at Riverside Church?

[@finchola]

Noam Chomsky...Legendary

[@SweetDissident]

@ stellarconverter: thanks =) but I highly recommend subscribing also to Chomskyan and Joe Friendly here as well if you haven't already. Their uploads are often first-hand, just smashing; I just know what to "favorite" =)

[@t3mpl3guardian]

Churchill also stated "the best argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with the average laborer."

[@Saber23]

He was right

[@joefriendly]

The key finding in the paper: nano-thermite particles and chips were found to be present in 4 samples of WTC dust, with verification by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry. The 1,3-diphenylpropane may have been a component of the spray used to distribute the nano-thermite throughout the WTC buildings. LVI Services, in the demolition business, had a pentagon contract to develop such a spray and a WTC contract to treat asbestos.

[@gaterzick]

i don't know where you guys get all these videos from but thanks.

[@joefriendly]

The US started the Iraq / Iran war with Brzezinski directing Saddam Hussein to attack Iran.

[@tom474e]

Every thing Chomski says checks out, do some research. Noam Chomski is a great patriot.... we need more like him.

[@Chomskyan]

cool, you should have said hi :) I'll post this on my channel too after I convert it.

[@xander7ful]

Could we maybe clone him (or several of him) or develop a Noam Chomsky Artificial Intelligence so that when he's gone, we can still have him around?

[@jamesdelaney5807]

I am a 32 year old Chomsky

[@joefriendly]

Posting 126 comments in one day, many repeats of comments posted a month ago both by Spike Shnoops and his/her alias Mathilda Zoink is abusive. Both trolls have been blocked from further comments.

[@lonelycubicle]

Excellent!

[@josegiovanni9310]

Chomsky is the epitome of the genuine intellectual similar to Bertrand Russell. There is no equivocation in his language and certainly not in his analysis which is circumspect yet loaded with information. When you listen to Chomsky you know you will immediately learn and challenge yourself

[@shanana569]

Where does he talk about Panama

[@longshotny]

Great Job as always long live Norm! 🔥 🔥

[@paulblack8887]

I found it very interesting researching a paper for the application of Edward Said's "Orientalism" to Eastern Europe (ie. Western views and constructs) that German relation to Eastern European (read: Slav) on the violent incursions by white settlers in California as the basis for their own policies in that region. This was late 19th century and shaped much of the much more famous National Socialist vision of Eastern European colonization. Changed my entire thesis in fact... The inequities of US policy grow ever larger

[@pkunzipstardotstar]

I hope one day that youtube will have controls that allow for faster or slower playback - In the case of Chomsky Faster.

[@rfvtgbzhn]

1:01:56 "13 ton" was actually right, "13 kiloton" would be about the same as a tactical nuclear weapon (the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had 15 kt).

[@hamidious]

Noam Chomsky is a brave hero.

[@joefriendly]

@BadHabit202 Interviewers from the Lancet report of October 2006 asked Iraqi respondents how their loved ones died. Of deaths for which families were certain of the perpetrator, 56 percent were attributable to US forces or their allies. For the first four years of the occupation the American military sent over 1,000 patrols each day into hostile neighborhoods, looking to capture or kill “insurgents” and “terrorists.” Since February 2007 it has increased to nearly 5,000 patrols a day.

[@thomascompton800]

i wasn't criticizing him, but the fact is there are a lot people who do critique his work, but perhaps the strength and confidence in his arguments outweighs yt

[@AdamRainStopper]

Watched it in full here, funny how you had it uploaded in 2009 when it was really a 2015 speech.........hmmmm

[@shaheer151]

Where did you watch it Adam ? ..I don't see a link

[@joefriendly]

@BadHabit202 The sentence in the Lancet report with the word "attribute" also has language of the victim families being "certain" of who caused the deaths. In addition to US killings by patrols "cleaning up neighborhoods" by smashing into apartments, there is the claim 95 percent of increase in deaths over peacetime were caused by bombs or fire from helicopter gunships." Then there's the cynical using of Depleted Uranium weapons that'll be causing cancer and mutations for millions of years.

[@ELMENDORFX]

Damn, the audience @ this lecture are very well informed and more enlightened than most Chomsky Lectures? Why do I wonder? If you notice the audience sounds like they are listening for a pin to drop. You can calculate how bored an audience is by hearing coughing. Coughing here is at a very minimum. And, then they laugh in the right places at Chomsky human rights humor that sometimes goes unnoticed? Enlightened audience? Chomsky gives me hope, seeing the masses that go to his lectures more so

[@kimlea69]

share,share and share....kim

[@festyosemtex]

@onceuponamidnightdry "it's just that he knows so much that isn't so." Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had the time Could you give examples of what he is wrong about?

[@user-ho4hc7nw9r]

21.5 million Soviet people were repressed shot, sentenced to imprisonment died. During decades prior to outbreak of ww1 Russian economy was booming. Between 1890 and 1913 it was fastest growing in world. Rail lines were opened at annual rate double that of Soviet years. Between 1900 and 1913 iron production increased by 58%, coal production more than doubled Exported Russian grain fed all of Europe. Finally the last decades of Tsarist Russia witnessed a magnificent flowering of cultural life

[@rafnezden1968]

Profe, Tu Eres El Mejor!

[@t3mpl3guardian]

I am looking forward to a good conversation. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from your vast knowledge bank.

[@GothamsHero_]

agreed

[@t3mpl3guardian]

That is, quite frankly, one of the real issues. US foreign policy is non-discriminatory concerning issues of human rights and peaceful coexistence. It seems, so long as there is financial gain, we turn a blind eye to many injustices. Many people I have met feel there should be reform in these relations. Once again however, discovering relevant and unbiased information on the topic is not a realistic expectation.

[@thomascompton800]

well said, i can't disagree that people do attack him in irrational ways

[@bapyou]

@JJJosh321 "I'm curious as to what (Chomsky's) stated political affiliation/s are?" Chomsky considers himself a libertarian anarchist and definitely leftist in orientation. At the beginning of this talk, he tells the story of how his father became a Wobblie while a young man. He also "received an education" at his uncle's news stand in New York City during the 1930s where leftists of all stripes met and argued the fine points of Marxism and Anarchism.

[@ElThain69]

i was here. 2nd in line actually. It was interesting to here little heard quotes on imperialism by walt whitman and ralph waldo emerson. Saw you there, chomskyan, but you were far away.

[@polymath7]

Noam does dig that sweater. Perhaps it was a gift from his granddaughter.

[@tahooey]

Depending upon your definition (good old Chomsky semantics) yes, I am a material science expert and a physicist. I hold a degree in Civil Engineering and am a licensed Professional Engineer whose professional experience is in structural steel design and quality assurance. How about you?

[@joefriendly]

Jonny Cashmore is starting a post rock, post punk band in Vancouver. Drop him a line if you are interested in joining. Jonny Cashmore at myspace

[@Chomskyan]

yeah, it wasn't great planning.... at least have an overflow room set up....

[@xander7ful]

That's the way it should be. Male and female intellectuals of intellect and moral conscience should collectively be counselors and advisors to presidents, senators, congressmen and statesmen. Unfortunately, our leaders choose a handful of intellectuals to work for them and advise them, people who agree with them already, and the rest like Chomsky are left in the cold to teach and write and lecture.

[@RayHoli0]

Pretty good lecture.. Imperialism will only grow with larger government control.. Notice how his only example of pre 60s imperialism is colonization itself which was essentially set in motion by the huge british government.. When our government was smaller.. so was our imperialism.. although always existant in some form.

[@anthonygomes035]

Why do these men not gather together and redirect the world the have depth, moral judgment, humanitarian beliefs, social understanding, economics, markets, culturally knowledgeable, intellect, intellectual, benevolent and no desire or passions of superiority persona. Why do these men not teach from positions of influence ex; senators congressman, statesmen? The world needs it badly, "we, the humans as a species deserve real change."

[@stephgautron]

Big thanks! subscrubing! keep em coming!!!!

[@gerryboudreault6040]

I listen so closely to Chomsky that I get behind him - he emanates so much information - with my 'catch up' thoughts (me: 'he's right, again'). I prefer his books at my pace, just saying.. at about 1:01:30 he says "..B-52 stealth bombers.." - a little numerical mistake; he meant B-2. Thanks Mr. Chomsky for confirming my own truth-sense..

[@Southwestrepresent]

@paunocu666 he is not a communist anarchy is a different theoretical strain he aligns himself with anacho-synidicatism

[@joefriendly]

Fair enough, Mikister, my error. The Open Chemical Physics Journal is not apparently. peer-reviewed. It's more open than peer-reviewed journals which our culture has made into gate-keepers of official scientific truth. However, this paper by Niels Harrit, Steve Jones, and others, does speak for itself as a truly scientific finding of nano-thermite in all four dust samples collected of the WTC collapses. This is a smoking gun in almost a literal sense!

[@AnarchoHumanist]

Yeah, I was one of them. I have no idea who booked Chomsky in such a small room, but it was not well-planned.

[@JoeStunner]

Could be. :-)

[@tahooey]

Personally, I don't constrain my search for truth within a circle. I was a Chomsky fan a decade ago, but I find his stance on 9/11 more than sad, I find it troubling and it raises (in my mind, anyway) serious questions about the man's underlying motivations. Perhaps, as you put it, Chomsky himself is a "drain on leftist energy" - has he prevented any wars, decreased any suffering, brought any peace? Those, to me, should be the goals of a man of his age, stature, and supposed leanings.

[@bersenev]

Go Noam!

[@DoctorMandible]

@bhigr Just because other civilizations are also imperialistic does not diminish the fact that western civilization is imperialistic. And the fact that you would resort to such denialism is proof that Said's arguments are necessary.

[@gloiven]

you are probably right. it's good still that some light is shone on darkness. were he to speak here on these subjects there would most likely be NO Chomsky feed at all.

[@t3mpl3guardian]

Touche ... I was not attempting to refute any of the statements you have made. I was simply commenting on the sheer volume of your posting. Your statements could have been more useful as a prologue to a novel on religion and politics throughout the middle east. It is difficult in the US to get any information other than the latest celebrity gossip and the unintelligible ramblings of mainstream media pundits. It is a virtual bubble here.

[@t3mpl3guardian]

US foreign policy - 1) ok to preemptively strike foreign nations so long as there is a profit margin to be exploited 2) ok to destabilize foreign economies so long as there is profit for US corporate interests Known US terror advocates 1) The Project for the New American Century 2) Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, GM, Harken Oil Known US economic terror advocates 1) the bio-ag business 2) international finance 3) energy companies And the lists go on.

[@michaelweber5702]

Yes Dr. Chomsky our country has often done wrong , often still does wrong as every other country often do wrong as well . What should we do about it ? Either we improve or not . I want the United States to do no wrong . So we must do better and improve ...

[@wagdywilliam1869]

Did you know just now that your country have done wrong all this time. Whehre have you been all this time then. If you want to make your U. S. do good will you come forward and tell how then instead of reciting just words.

[@antidote7]

@BadHabit202 Another post that doesn't address the issue at hand. We know why...

[@joefriendly]

There is an abundance of evidence that controlled demolition brought down the 3 WTC buildings. LVI Services got a $3 million pentagon contract to develop a nano-thermite spray in 1999. Then they got a one million contract supposedly to treat the asbestos in the WTC buildings, starting Sept 12, 2000. What was the treatment? Some spraying? What was found in all 4 samples of WTC powder on 9/11: Nano-thermite. But let's carry on this discussion elsewhere. Chomsky isn't a 911 truther. It's sad.

[@ChristopherRhudy]

@JonnyCashmore Amen brother, Chomsky is a post-partisan and post-neoliberal agenda wonder... we are lucky to have him to speak for those who can't speak for their selves.

[@Lynnc83]

:D great speaking i respect Noam

[@t3mpl3guardian]

The US also suffers from cultural arrogance, not external pressure by Islamic Fundamentalists. In the future we have have to rely on groups such as the UN to resolve these parallel idiocies. I believe the problem lies more in the battle between education and tribal thinking. The west has come along way in understanding, but these current discoveries are being challenged not only by Islam, but Christianity as well. It's a clash between post-modernism and religious tradition.

[@magazinestock]

i love you

[@joefriendly]

@BadHabit202 Each patrol invaded an average of 30 Iraqi homes a day, with the mission to interrogate, arrest, or kill suspects. Any fighting age man was considered not just a suspect, but a potential lethal adversary. US soldiers were told not to take any chances. Patrols in 2007 resulted in just under 3,000 firefights each month, about 100 per day, not counting about 25 involving our Iraqi allies, resulting in 1000s of innocent Iraqi deaths and brutal detentions. Google: million Iraqis killed

[@michaelweber5702]

@Bad. - The Iraq war was completely WRONG ...

[@joefriendly]

The finding of nano-thermite in all four samples of 911 dust IS in a peer reviewed journal! ISSN: 1874-4125 Lead author: Niels Harrit. A smoking gun! Nano-thermite doesn't just happen. Has to be high-tech manufactured. How else might you explain virtually all the concrete flooring, office furniture, and people reduced to an extraordinarily fine dust? Pancake collapse would have resulted in that stuff and people crudely crushed, not fine dust that could be conveniently washed down sewers.

[@yunikage]

@BadHabit202 The idea that pursuit of power by institutions and individuals is the ruling force in history is evident to anyone who is paying attention. It's not a "controversial theory", it's a virtually universal interpretation. Likewise, the idea that state power is violence at its most fundamental level is not a liberal or Marxist theory, it's a definition of "state" which goes back hundreds of years before Marx. How about a list of the "assumptions" you refer to?

[@verbalps]

@joefriendly You say theres an abundance of evidence for a controlled demolition, please show me one peer reviewed paper explaining this "controlled demolition".You cant because there is no evidence for a controlled demolition.

[@Rykemasters]

Yes, that is one of the most prominent things he says, and the subject of this speech. But then your pointing out of unjustified violence and imperialism outside of what we call the West doesn't actually undermine that premise, especially given that Chomsky has on occasion pointed out more or less what you're pointing out. What you're saying doesn't actually rule out what he's saying.

[@SweetDissident]

tahooey, I wonder if you realize you are not alone; not everyone who is a fan of Chomsky agrees with him re: false flag etc. Not everyone who reads Chomsky reads ONLY Chomsky. I hope you aren't making such an assumption in your comment. Furthermore, have you prevented any wars? Decreased any suffering? Brought any Peace? Can one man, alone, do so? Chomsky himself has led a life of activism, scholarship, and teaching. And we can too. People together change things, and Chomsky says this.

[@DoctorMandible]

@paunocu666 Libertarian Communism is not the same as Anarchism. Communism has a greater emphasis on representative democracy whereas Anarchism emphasizes direct democracy. There are other differences too.

[@SweetDissident]

Awesome; I heard they had to turn hundreds away!

[@antidote7]

@alphecca2539 Thats not an argument against what he is saying, it's just nonsense to attempt to discredit. It's also the way stupid people react.

[@joefriendly]

@BadHabit202 The US does claim to its citizens that its reasons are the honorable ones of promoting freedom, democracy, peace, stability. The fact that such are big lies argues for the US government fooling its people and that we are but a sham democracy, not a real one. The US violates its treaty obligation when it signed the UN Charter outlawing aggression. Chomsky makes clear, the US is using our military to dominate the world like a cruel bully, i.e. immorally! Our piggy "interests?"

[@t3mpl3guardian]

It is definitely shame we live in an era of us and them mentality. I am not an Islamic apologist nor am I a Christian apologist. Both sides are guilty of warmongering and subversion. I believe any group who bases their foreign and domestic policies on books dating back thousands of years could use a bit of modern education.

[@Rykemasters]

Then, there's the fact that USSR influence and warmongering is gone by virtue of there being no USSR anymore. There was clearly imperialism from the USSR on a level at least comparable to that of the US, and certainly more open and obvious. Russia today doesn't have any real hegemony outside of Russia itself, even in Belarus, which is still oddly close to the former USSR.

[@t3mpl3guardian]

I would agree and in such an event, I would like to see science and technology claim victory and lead humanity into a new age of human progress. As much as you would like to raise awareness to the possibility of Radical Islamic dominance, the horror of Fundamental Christian dominance over the world is equally as terrifying. Fundamental Christianity is based in fascist ideology as well. A quick read of Revelations will support this claim.

[@joefriendly]

@BadHabit202 The current count of Iraqi deaths caused by the criminal 2003 US invasion and occupation displayed online at JustForeignPolicy dotOrg is 1,366,350. You seem to find it comforting to claim most of that is fighting of Shiite vs.Sunni. Not so. GOOGLE! Besides, US and Britain cooked up violence between the religious groups to distract their fighting us. Are not the "enemies" the US is killing there rightfully defending their country? Were you troubled by the Fallujah massacre?

[@johnshaw8228]

I had known in explicit detail of the attacks of September 11, 2001 since 1997. Starting September 1997 I told people about what was going to happen. I told them in South Korea, the USA, California, and China I continued up to and through the night of September 10, 2001. People in law enforcement were required by law to contact the local field office of the federal bureau of investigation, which they did not do. The responses from about 99% of the people I told were pathetically ignorant, stupid, indifferent, arrogant and selfish. After the attacks happened I told people I had known about it since 1997. Their answer were the same as the people's I told before the attacks. Just to let you know. You have elected to put your governance in the hands of criminals and thieves, speculators, war mongers, terrorists and liars. You all made your bed. You had to lie on it September 11, 2001. That's not all, so you better buckle your seat belts and fasten your helmets. It is going to be a rough ride. The big bumps will be spaced out, and all the more catastrophic and spectacular because of it. A word. The last pre 9-11 warning was an anonymous phone call to the law the night of September 10, 2001 in Fort Pierce, Florida. See if you can pry the recording or information out of those crooks. Before 9-11 struck in the tangible, I told no fewer than 100 people over a period of four years.

[@t3mpl3guardian]

Jesus Camp - the same intolerance is perpetuating in the west as well. Where is the international cry against an equal and opposite radical theology? Religious extremism should not be tolerated, regardless of its origin. Where is your criticism of Manifest Destiny or Zionist expansionism? I agree with you on almost everything you present, but the picture is much larger than the one you propose.

[@Rykemasters]

Okay, for the sake of avoiding pointless rhetoric, I'll buy your statement that Eastern imperialism (from who? The Caliphate? Clarify that if you want to be taken seriously. There was never an Arabic Empire. Arabic people are a people living across a relatively well-defined area that was never really united, but was certainly subjected to imperialism from its own region) was much worse than modern American imperialism. I give you that free of any of the scrutiny I should give it. Then what?

[@yunikage]

@BadHabit202 Nothing about this talk is particularly leftist. It seems as though you're responding to your own conceptions of what Chomsky is about rather than what he is actually saying here. Nothing he says in this talk is in any way controversial, nor is it overtly political. He does not suggest foreign or domestic policies. He simply describes a series of unfortunate events, and does so quite accurately.

[@Rykemasters]

Chomsky's premise is not and never was that the West is the only source of imperialism, not at the moment and most certainly not historically. That's a convenient straw man, but it doesn't hold up. Certainly he focuses almost exclusively on Western imperialism, in past history and today, but he has said a few times exactly the opposite of what you say is his point.

[@onceuponamidnightdry]

It's not that Mr. Chomsky is ignorant, it's just that he knows so much that isn't so.

[@Rykemasters]

Eastern? What east? East starts at the Middle-East, and, well, you'll have a hard time showing their propaganda (if there's even any kind of unified Middle-Eastern ideological bloc, which there isn't much) lines up in any way significant way with, er, anything like Noam Chomsky's views.

[@ColdCypher]

Hes a walking encyclopedia, but he is VERY dry. Needs to work on his approach. Guess it wouldn't matter anyways because the mass media only allow conventional thought to be mentioned.

[@joefriendly]

The US caused the AIDS epidemic in Africa with small pox vaccine intentionally infected with AIDS.

[@Serafinos]

OMG - really? You really need to run from your friends or teachers that are feeding you that BS!

[@joefriendly]

Rocketeer101 Your foolish notions about US Mainstream Media (MSM) being the unfortunate victim of misinformation cry for correction: Like, Time Magazine's picking Bernanke for Man of the Year, with Nancy Pelosi among their runners-up, urges our remembering who they tellingly picked for 1939 Man of the Year: Hitler

[@archismanchakrabarty9752]

r/unpopularopinion

[@Rykemasters]

And finally, none of this is relevant to my point: What Eastern propaganda? How are Eastern interests valued unfairly compared to Western interests? Imperialism in the past has most definitely been linked to many places other than the US; on the world stage, US imperialism was not particularly big until at least the end of WWI. If you want to argue past history, go ahead, but that's not the point here. Sarcasm on its own won't get you anywhere, get proper arguments and adress my point.

[@t3mpl3guardian]

I never made such claims. Please do not put words into my mouth. I only wish to state the real problem. The traditions of the past are directly threatening the technological and scientific humankind. It would be a shame to see a resurgence of advancement in the middle east just to be overshadowed by the arrogance and stagnation of western theology. Moving into the future, I would like to see all religious dogma finally put to rest.

[@Rykemasters]

Of course that's not Western propaganda, but both are almost entirely gone by now. Imperialism in the Middle-East from Middle-Eastern sources is practically nonexistant and, if anything, comes from Islam and not any nation. A past history of warmongering is irrelevant as it's long gone (aside from the Israeli wars, which by the way, can partly be traced to US and European influence), and again, the Caliphate, the closest thing there ever was to an Arab Empire, is directly linked to Islam.

[@thomascompton800]

i do agree with chomsky most of the time, but he is always very one-sided; it takes away from any sense of debate that may be present

[@gloiven]

ha ha. something to be said however for the rebuttal of sociofashion norms.

[@buttnhole1]

Men like these cannot get elected in the United States...unfortunately.