9-11 | Noam Chomsky | Important Context for 9/11 that's Hard to Find Elsewhere

9-11 | Noam Chomsky | Disappointing

books:

9-11

	9-11 Noam Chomsky Open Media/Seven Stories Press, 2001 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 168 reviews view larger image
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Chomsky's international bestseller, analyzing terrorism, Osama bin Laden, U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, and the long-term implications of America's military response to September 11.

Important Context for 9/11 that's Hard to Find Elsewhere

This is a collection of talks and interviews so it lacks the political models and theories that Chomsky applies to U.S. politics and media that are found in his larger and more in depth works.

This book is probably best suited for the moderate dissident or progressive who has read only minimally on the subject. This text has nothing to do with 9/11 conspiracy theories or the 9/11 truth movement.

What it does contain is context to help people put the 9/11 attacks in perspective. During the Russian occupation of Afghanistan the U.S. and others armed, trained, and funded several radical Islamism groups to engage in low intensity conflict with the Russians. Many of these groups ascribe to a purist form of Islam that deems any foreign influence in Arab lands as an abomination. These groups were not particularly popular among Arabs, but through foreign support they became quite powerful militarized organizations.

Since then they have been doing more of the same, which is basically fighting a holy war against imperialism in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are constantly being targeted by them. These groups have dissolved and reconstituted themselves and have had a variety of names over the years, they fight each other and are mostly funded by drug profits. Al Qaeda is one of these organizations. They had very little power before they received foreign support to fight the Russians.

Basically the people we gave the guns to do our dirty work turned them on us after they had served their purpose.

In the book, Chomsky advocates a peaceful approach to resolving the conflict, predicting the negative affects on the civilian populations that result from military conflict will lead more people to sympathize with Bin Laden's cause. The bombing Afghanistan halted U.N. food aide shipments to the millions who are starving there, resulting in unknown death tolls. While the Arab world was overwhelmingly appalled by the events of 9/11, taking it out on civilian populations (unintentionally, incidentally or otherwise) will only increase support for Bin Laden's efforts.

This prediction has been proven true by a NSA report two years ago that said as a result of the war in Iraq Al Qaeda has increased in number and organization and we are now more at risk of an attack as the result of our actions.

After reading all the one star reviews, would estimate that at most 4 of the people who left them have actually read the book, and every single one of them misrepresents Chomsky's views completely.

If you're interested in this book, read it and form your own opinions.

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Disappointing

I'm a pretty avid reader of Noam Chomsky, but this book was a disappointment. What I found absurd was his comparison of 9-11 with Clinton's bombing of Sudan. They are not morally equivalent-actually Chomsky actually goes farther than claiming moral equivalence and says Clinton's actions were worse. It should be obvious that the bombing of Sudan was an attempt to kill Al-Qaeda members, not civilians, while the 9-11 terrorists deliberately targeted civilians, in the hope of killing as many as possible. Sam Harris does a great analysis of this book in his work The End of Faith. Todd Gitlin, as far from a right-winger as one can be, also harshly criticized 9-11 in the Nation.

I cannot recommend this book. If you want a good Chomsky book, try Failed States or the Indispensable Chomsky.

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