The Bush administration has created an unimaginable catastrophe in Iraq. This should've been one of the easiest military occupations in history and they succeeded in turning it into one of the worst military disasters in history. They can't control it and it's almost impossible for them to get out for reasons you can't discuss in the United States because to discuss the reasons why they can't get out would be to concede the reasons why they invaded.
Noam ChomskyThe Iraq War was the first conflict in western history in which an imperialist war was massively protested against before it had even been launched.
Noam ChomskyIt was during the Reagan years that defiance of international law and the U.N. Charter became entirely open.
Noam ChomskyAbout specific social issues, there is a great deal to say that departs very far from truism and is, accordingly, significant and controversial.
Noam ChomskyThe Second World War had really devastating effects for much of Europe. It really didn't take them very long to reconstruct state capitalist democracies because it was in people's heads. There were other parts of the world that were pretty much devastated and they couldn't do it; they didn't have the conceptions in their mind. A lot of it is human consciousness.
Noam ChomskyIn our society, real power does not happen to lie in the political system, it lies in the private economy: thatโs where the decisions are made about whatโs produced, how much is produced, whatโs consumed, where investment takes place, who has jobs, who controls the resources, and so on and so forth. And as long as that remains the case, changes inside the political system can make some difference-I donโt want to say itโs zero-but the differences are going to be very slight.
Noam ChomskyI think the foreign policy is really not Donald Trump administration concern. Like the Syria strike. I mean, it meant almost nothing. They hit an empty air base. Within a day, it was functioning again. Planes were flying off it. It was for a domestic show, you know - show what a tough guy I am; I'm not Barack Obama.
Noam Chomsky