Noam Chomsky Speech: The U.S. & Its Allies Will Do Anything to Prevent Democracy in the Arab World

[democracy1st]

Run time: 15:13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcX23O7RqQQ   Posted on YouTube: May 11, 2011 By YouTube Member: mediagrrl9 Views on YouTube: 2449   Posted on DU: May 12, 2011 By DU Member: democracy1st Views on DU: 2178

 
Speaking at the 25th anniversary of celebration of the national media watch group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, world-renowned political dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky analyzes the U.S. response to the popular uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. Democracy Now! was there to tape his speech. "Across the , the overwhelming majority of the population regards the United States as the main threat to their interests," Chomsky says. "The reason is very simple ... Plainly, the U.S. and allies are not going to want governments, which are responsive to the will of the people. If that happens, not only will the U.S. not control the region, but it will be thrown out."

To read the complete transcript, to download the audio podcast, and to see additional Democracy Now! interviews with Noam Chomsky,visit http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/11/noam_chomsky_the_us_and_its

FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter: @democracynow
Daily Digest Email List: http://www.democracynow.org/subscribe

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit http://www.democracynow.org/donate/YT

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Rec'd -- not that you could tell

Are there any non-repuke posters left at this site?

[truth2power]

7. No. n/t

[Kurska]

2. The key to political success is to only update your world view every 50 or so years.

Chomsky is a broken record.

[chervilant]

12. Perhaps

he has to be a broken record to break through the ethnocentrism rampant among US citizens. Walter LaFeber's The American Age has helped me to break through my own.

[eissa]

3. Oh, for fuck's sake

even the Arab world is tired of this old meme. Does the US want puppet regimes everywhere? Probably, who wouldn't? But it's high past time the Arabs held their own governments responsible for the rampant corruption and brutality they have exercised for decades instead of constantly pointing the finger at the US and Israel.

[chervilant]

13. hmm...

Where have you been? Many in the Middle East have been rising up against their OWN oppressive regimes. Furthermore, most activists in the region are well aware that the US and Israel are the Big Bullies in the Global Sandbox.

"Probably, who wouldn't"? Those of us who recognize the damages inflicted historically by US foreign policy are among those who DON'T want puppet regimes everywhere.

[eissa]

15. You can't keep blaming the bully

when you practice the same tactics. The uprisings are exactly what prove Chomsky wrong; that even the Arab street have moved past the "blame US/Israel for all of our problems" rhetoric and are finally holding their own governments responsible. Again, this doesn't mean that the west hasn't meddled, but the governments in the region have been more than happy to not only play along, but inflict plenty of damage all on their own.

[chervilant]

16. hmm...

And, I think it's disingenuous to pretend the US and Israel have not been significantly involved in the 'political machinations' that have installed some of the very dictatorships against which the people are uprising.

We'll have to agree to disagree about this.

[poli_ticks]

19. Your position might make sense

if the Arab street hated *only* the US/Israel and not their own governments. But this is clearly not the case, as indeed they're trying to overthrow their own governments in many countries in the Middle East.

If you side with/are friends with governments the Arab people hate, why wouldn't the people hate you too?

So that's all it is. Their hatred of us in indeed logical and condign.

Chomsky only talks about US/Israel. And perhaps that's what gives the wrong impression. But given that he is a US citizen usually talking to western audiences, that's wholly appropriate. Americans are the right people to take on the task of changing US government policies. And the task of changing Arab governments ought to be left to the Arab people. Generally the only people arguing that we Americans ought to go do something about evil Arab governments are Neocons who have ulterior motives and agendas.

[al bupp]

4. Chomsky's argument seems to defy the situation in Libya & Egypt

He says that the US tolerates dictators as long as the control the population which he says is largely against US interests. If so, then why support the NFZ and freeze Gaddafi's assets? Didn't he largely support our interests since renouncing his WMD programs? I suppose the theory would be that our government has a better, more tractable dictator in mind for the country.

I think the realities of the Arab Spring are upsetting dogmas on all sides of the political spectrum. I see little evidence that the popular uprisings in the Arab world are fueled by anti-US sentiment in any meaningful way.

[Shireling]

6. Well

I think that he suggests that we usually replace one "dictator" with another. Hopefully we will find one who really wants Democracy and will honor the wishes of the population. The question then is, what does the population wish?

[al bupp]

9. I think, basically, they want to be rid of rule by thuggery

[Shireling]

5. The military industrial complex

has only grown over the last 50 years. This can't be said enough.

[AllTooEasy]

8. Obama sure stuck his neck out for Mubarack - NOT

Noam needs to stop generalizing about ALL Americans. Repukes want thoe sock puppet dictators. Progressive Americans want freedom for all people.

[eissa]

10. When was the last time Chomsky visited the ME?

Richard Engle had a decent piece on MSNBC online: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43007360/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/
As did Tom Friedman: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/opinion/11friedman.html?ref=thomaslfriedman

While I may not agree with the latter on some issues, at least both of these men have been on the ground in the region extensively. Their analysis and reporting of the upsrisings have been more reality-based than the rhetoric Chomsky has been repeating for decades now. This is not to say that I don't agree with much of what Chomsky says regarding many topics. But the situation in the ME right now is very nuanced; Egypt is not Syria and Bahrain is not Tunisia. There is a tendency to want to lump the whole region and its problems and solutions into one box when they are in fact very different in terms of their histories, governments, societies and goals.

[Shireling]

11. When I saw a report

by Richard Engle on MSNBC, he was very worried that if the people were successful in removing their dictators, that there would be war against Isreal. He said that there was much resentment by the people towards Isreal. Kind of what Chomsky is saying.

Hey, I want democracy in the middle east too and I hope it all goes well.

[eissa]

14. Resentment yes, war no

I really don't believe that Egyptians, having finally broken that fear barrier and overthrown their government, want to commemorate that with a war. The main thing missing in Tahrir Square, something we've seen at almost every Arab rally in the past, were anti-US/Israel slogans. The anger was directed directly at their own government, its brutal security apparatus, and the corrupt system that prevailed.

How angry do us liberals get when repukes criticize Obama for not fixing all of our problems in three short years when it took 8 years of bush and his cronies to get us into this mess? Egypt and the Arab world face mountains of challenges ahead of them built up over decades. It's not going to be pretty in the short-term, but I'm hopeful that the uprisings will have a favorable ending.

[Shining Jack]

17. K&R n/t

[poli_ticks]

18. Why does Chomsky hate America?

Hey Noam, what about us? Don't we deserve democracy? How about spending some time complaining that the US Ruling Class will do anything to prevent democracy in the US?