Chomsky: History of US Imperialism -1/7

[maryb5287]

Brilliant speaker.

[blakout2k4]

You guys want to complain about US imperials, Truth is, Every empire before us was the same or fucking worst. This includes the British Empire (YES THEM, before any of you dancing queens attack me, do your fucking research).

[treehuggerdude4]

@blakout2k4 it was wrong then and it is wrong now. Plasma televisions and blood diamonds dont justify imperialism and people should be aware of the their nation's actions. History is an important part of that because it helps people understand their nations and other nations more based on what they have done in the past. I dont think colonialism and genoicde are things to rationalize.

[leckheflin]

If the US only recognized Canada after WWI, why did we have a consulate there in 1833? These poor college students are so primed for anti-American rhetoric, that this kind of falsity just slips right by them. This reveals the dishonesty of the speaker. He knows better and I'm sure his statement rests on his use of "really recognize", but his purpose is not to inform, it is rather to indoctrinate.

[EndWesternTyranny]

@leckheflin "anti-American rhetoric" is rhetoric in itself...

[xBallpark09]

so what... evolutionary theory says what up? strongest wins bro.... trolololololol

[4Barbudos]

"We must bear in mind that imperialism is a world system, the last stage of capitalism - and it must be defeated in a world confrontation. Our share, the responsibility of the exploited and underdeveloped of the world is to eliminate the foundations of imperialism: our oppressed nations, from where they extract capitals, raw materials, technicians and cheap labor, and to which they export new capitals - instruments of domination."

— Che Guevara

[bazle64]

thats right what does chomsky know. we prefer to listen to the regard toss-pot by royal appointment cellovid

[newdimensionfilms]

Chomsky starts @ 2:45

[Teapartyla]

We were founded as a Republic, not an empire. Only took him less than a min to be wrong. He can be right about a lot of things, doesn't mean he is right on everything.

[truesemite]

@Teapartyla Rome was founded as a republic and it was a city state, america was founded as a republic and it was almost the size of the Roman empire at the hight of its power ! he didn't say that the official foundation was imperial rather what he means is that the imperial status was the De facto status or ideology.

[chinopisces]

@Teapartyla: Hardly the case. If the US was founded as a Republic, it would have taken the indigenous population into account and made them citizens. Instead, millions of 'american indians' were slaughtered in the name of its imperial ideology, known as the Manifest Destiny.

[BeAsTm0aD]

@chinopisces Like all things throughout time, they have never pure just like man isn't pure. All societies have been "hybrid ideaologies" since the beginning of governmental structuring. Our country is a "Republicempiremonetaryconsume­rpretendfreemarketMcBigbusines­s-archy" It has bits and pieces all jammed together. We're even a bit socialistic. Always have been. It's just the fact that man likes to think that something is Pure and One/Solo, when it is a mixture of so many different ideas.

[NorthCitySider]

@Teapartyla

America has empire written all over it. From its birth until now.

[constructivereconcil]

I have just one question for you. Where does radical Islamic terror fit in to this picture in which Bush stated he was fighting?

[WeToldYouSo1]

Over 100,000 views for The East-West dichotomy! US imperialism is alive and kicking!

[ttiiyy]

So what? Seriously, what is the point of all these information? Look at Mexico. Spanish forced Mexicans to learn Spanish. If any Mexicans refused to cooperate, Spanish killed them.  Despite the fact that Spanish treated Mexicans like human garbages, the official language of Mexico today is Spanish. Mexicans did not choose to give up Spanish after Mexico won the Independence War. So what do you say about that? Mexico is a product of imperialism. Are you calling Mexico a mistake?

[TheBestTroller]

The US isn't perfect, but this guy tries to portray the US as every action of war was a greedy, capitalist ambiguous land grab... Many of them were provokes actions by the enemy... But you liberals view America as the center-piece of evil. So I'm gonna go before I get trolled

[RPenta]

@TheBestTroller If we did not conquer the native Americans in America, we would have been fighting them in Liverpool. As to the Arabs, what is our oil doing under their sand? As to Israel, can't you liberals understand why the 4th greatest military power in the world equipped with nuclear weapons and an air force and navy is threatened by the Palestinians armed with some crappy rockets?

Everybody knows the Commies killed all those nuns, priests, and peasants in Central America in the 1980's.

[Cantkillmenow]

The more money you pay for school the righter you are. Duh.

[Porojukaha]

you are a professor of LINGUISTICS not POLITICAL SCIENCE stop acting like an expert in a field that is not even in the same category as yours. Go give a speech on esperanto or something. Leave the political activism to those who actually have an education in it.

[dubified89]

I like most of his speeches but I absolutely hate the groveling intros these people do for them. Just let the guy fucking speak

[jackuy12345]

majoring in history sucks cant get a job after graduating the section is too small

[rickbar123]

The problem I have with NC is the more I listen and read him, the harder it is for me to function in the world. I look at everything and say- "Bullshit." Then they fire me.

No regrets.

[Porojukaha]

@rickbar123 and you dont say bullshit when you hear him speak? I mean, that girl was saying he knocks down the ideologies that have been indoctrinated into our psyche, but he completely fails to mention that what professors do is no less indoctrination than what pastors do. He himself is working to indoctrinate people. Its like the teapot calling the kettle black. He doesnt even know what hes talking about, as he failed to mention the CONSTITUTION prohibits imperialism!

[sulfurousstench]

to mr. deltaforce: Like the Roman and British empires, the US empire is the major cause of international violence and strife and sure, some order. The goal is in fact 'maintaining global order" but the 'security' part can be tossed aside when the military thugs decide a country or a social movement has to be destroyed for the cause of 'global order and security'. They threaten us with made up enemies so we keep paying taxes to the war machine. You may not accept that, but it is fairly accurate

[WeToldYouSo1]

Who doesn't love this man for his courage and integrity.

[WantMonkeyToComment]

Bless you for speaking out what most people think but do not dare to make it public.

[Wtfgames]

somebody should shoot chomsky, god damn this man is a walking sterotype of a self hating jew with a fetish for muslims

[Thastorcyclone]

@Wtfgames

Indeed, He seems to Love islamic dictatorships, Also he doesnt condemn Slavery In sudan. (Muslims have non muslims slave, just like muhammed did)

Quran gives muslims right to have non muslim slaves.

Yet You Leftist seem to love islamisation of the world.

[MarcheseCadmio88]

I've studied at University Chomsky's theories on the languages, and I have to say that I fully support also his views about the hypocritical imperialism of USA.

Youtube should be filled with message like this, so people could know the truth.

[Mr2010Singh]

I cannot figure out this man's intentions.

[JohnnyRock2000]

This is not to excuse, but humanity is about conquest and conquest is about war. The most powerful always dominate in this manner. Humanity is ruled by murder. At times, economic forces seem to rule, but that is true only when the warmongers are catching their breath for another war. America and Israel are the wests greatest examples of war mongering nations. The reasoning changes but war is the same. WW1 cost 10% civilian lives, Iraq war 90%, about 1,200,000 people.

[ovidiu1987razaila]

he gave me a hard time with his syntax studies if it's the same guy. (not himself in person, my teacher teaching after his book)

[Halftrac]

One BIG commie PLOT!!! Who PAID for your FREEDOM Chomsky?

[A1R5N1P3R]

Chomsky's popularity is just more proof that our school systems are failing and our publishing companies are bent on promoting any agenda that will help bring about a decline necessary for those aspiring to create a wage slave state. I hope all you idiots who go into debt for your liberal arts education, wind up working for $14 hourly as a private contractor / at-will employee, aka wage slave.

[zwan2]

C'est triste que les américains ne veulent garder qu'une seule langue et une seule culture dans le monde, la leur.

Paraitrait-il que c'est dans leur culture, ils ont toujours été impérialistes depuis le début.

[zwan2]

Il veulent a tout prix mettre dans la tête des peuples du monde entier que eux seuls sont les meilleurs dans tous les domaines, rabaissent les autres nations et ignorent ou récupèrent sciemment leurs réussites pour les reprendre à leur compte.

Heureusement il reste une poignée d'américains dignes.

[Rollride]

Girl that introduced him didn't do it good...

[CigarStudLasVegas]

@Rollride you mean "didn't do it well" ;->

[markushollywood]

She could of just said "Ladies and Gentleman, Noam Chomsky"

Instead she had to read (did that pass for reading ?) about 8 pages of guff that everyone there already would of known.

[Rereversed]

@markushollywood Alot of filler content and buzzwords.

[trakkaton]

The speaker in the beginning is so horrible I had to quit.

[koponenii]

all i wish is that he would speak more well. Less eehm uuhm pauses ... He could write it and some1 else read.

Message takes damage too when he tells it. :(

[scorzeny45]

leftwing self hating american jew.

[bths87]

there's no difference between you and the nazis-the nazis were actually much more humane than the israelis. your head is so far up america's ass you don even realize that one day you'll have to answer to God, and on that day you will burn in hell you damn nazi.

[koponenii]

1 is sure: u cant threat any1 whit fairy tales.

[vincentmusic]

What a horrible thing to say. Slogan like this are only a means to avoid the truth.

[ma98h]

@scorzeny45 .lol. right wing nationalist pro-israel idiot.

[maxfedor1]

scorezeny so if someone has social and moral conscience then that makes them a self hating jew. if your knuckle dragging opinion was true, what does that make zionist jews. Immoral, sociopaths? brainwashed idiot. do everyone a favour and actually open a book sometime, dont rely on fox news to give a distorted view of reality

[Lexman00]

Why doesn't anyone question the USA? The USA has an exaggerated military force, a huge Nuclear arsenal, military bases around the world, and a too high leveled currency that dominates most of the world economy. A reform is needed to balance the economy and military force around the world. I hope the world changes towards a path without imperialism and to a more fair and balanced world. The world is tired of the Imperialist USA that has done nothing but cause pain and suffering in the world.

[DerEchteSenf]

@Lexman00 I think the USA is questioned every day. It's just not reported on. ;-)

[4Barbudos]

"We must bear in mind that imperialism is a world system, the last stage of capitalism - and it must be defeated in a world confrontation. We must eliminate the foundations of imperialism: our oppressed nations, from where they extract capitals, raw materials, technicians and cheap labor, and to which they export new capitals - instruments of domination - arms and all kinds of articles; thus submerging us in an absolute dependence." — CHE GUEVARA

[DanMorgan98]

Lol. You are aware that Che sent people to firing squads and advocated Stalinist purges. Please read the works of Che and not just cherry pick quotes of his that you like.

[Lexman00]

Do not MISREPRESENT the facts! Otherwise you are just like every other ignorant North American. I read all 3 main biographies on Che Guevara. All great reeds.

The executions were for the war criminals; mostly Batista's army. Che carried out the executions because it was what Cuba wanted as a whole, because Batista killed everyone that empathized with the guerillas. Che did review appeals but Che needed to carry this out in order to solidify the revolution. That is WAR! Che was a hardened man.

[neothomist1275]

"Throughout the 19th century, the ideology resulting from the French Revolution not only did not curb colonial expansion,but actually encouraged it...colonialism evolved largely in the name of progress. It assumed that the Western world had a mission to extend the blessings of the ideology of human rights to all colonialized peoples. In England, as in France, in polemics concerning slavery, the most fervent abolitionists were almost always avid advocates of colonialism" - Alain de Benoist

[xokschiaxang]

Noam Chomsky in his books justifies all his judgements about the meaning of the facts by giving references to support everything he is saying. He is no the habitual intelectual who is saying things to support some group he belongs to.

[at8933]

I like him because he tells the way Israel really is.

[daw0llas]

@at8933 he says everything the way it really is. He shows that America is the biggest threat for world peace

[charronfamilyconnect]

part 2

he has steadfastly refused to discuss the evidence of government complicity and prior knowledge. Furthermore, he claims that the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Bilderberg Committee, and Trilateral Commission are "nothing organizations." When critiquing poverty, he never mentions the Federal Reserve and their role in manipulating the cycle of debt.

[charronfamilyconnect]

His formula over the years has stayed consistent: blame "America" and "corporations" while failing to examine the hidden Globalist overclass which pulls the strings, using the U.S. as an engine of creation and destruction. Then after pinning all the worlds ills on American imperialism, Chomsky offers the solution of world government under the United Nations.

[icecreamandwine]

I know she was just doing her job, but damn that girl's introduction was annoying and long. A good speech, even though he's so well spoken he keeps it simple enough for us laymen to comprehend what he's saying.

[stirrrrrr]

read his books which contains thousands of documentations

[cellovid]

I am ignorant. I do not know about the US's 18th century imperial ambitions in Canada and Cuba. Noam Chomsky wants to fill my ignorance gap, but he doesn't have any documentation. He didn't bother to bring a letter signed by any 18th century politician that shows his argument to be true so it could be shown to this audience on an overhead projector. Perhaps that would offend his dignity. I find it offensive to my dignity that I should accept his pontification on face value.

[KashifHKhan]

Noam Chomsky is easily the most intellectually honest and scholarly rigorous of political analysts alive. (He is a world renowned professor at MIT for God's sake). It is extremely naive on your part to expect him to use slides with footnotes for a speech; all he can do is to quote - by name - key people in formation of US policy. If you desire detailed references, pick up any of Chomsky's books. You will find footnotes, citations, references, and a bibliography to your heart's content.

-Kashif

[Jwriter4]

I agree Kash!!

[gonzoplatter]

@KashifHKhan You just became my best commentator friend...that remark is true and to the point. I've also encountered similar arguments or pretexts to "refute" Prof. Chomsky's lectures or speeches. To cellovid, I strongly recommend spending some time reading Chomsky's sources, then "do it yourself" - by that I mean go to the sources, read them, and then check out their sources. You can easily find that history is not this big scary monster, but it is rather clear and non-ambiguous.

[Melchersson]

@KashifHKhan Its totally hypocritical to only talk about "corrupt" leader ship in the US! Every god damn western government is corrupt behind the curtain of democracy and try to expand their influence and power over their own as well as other nations citizens./From Sweden

[martthesling]

@KashifHKhan just because a person has a professorship doesnt mean he/she is right.

[SUpersaiyajinjerkbag]

Well, like anything chomsky says it isnt too ridiculous

Washington DID campaign in Canada after all, and southerners had a history of both proposed and real expansionism in Latin America

Youll note that the US actually DID get Cuba as a 4 year protecterate after the Spansih-American War.

[highervis]

You could just look it up yourself if you wanted to find out, or perhaps that would also be 'offensive to your dignity'

[Melchersson]

@cellovid Its a total hypocritical to talk about "corrupt" leader ship in the US! Every god damn western government is corrupt behind the curtain of democracy and try to expand their influence and power over their own as well as other nations citizens.

[QwidgyboMan]

@cellovid

Nobodies asking you to. Do the research. Your fatuous sarcasm shows you don't have an open mind.

[HelenaXVI]

@cellovid Nobody asks you to accept anything at face value. What's Chomsky supposed to do, refer to books and exact pages in his speech? Read the BOOKS for Christ's sake.

[AbtinX]

@cellovid it's a speech, a talk. Not a lecture in a university course. 

[TheGoldStandard2075]

@cellovid manifest destiny", "monroe doctrince", george washington~no entangling alliances~isolationism/unilate­ralism~ "Roosevelt corollary was used as a justification for U.S. intervention in Latin America

[MrRob1967]

@cellovid Why not go to a library and look it up. Not too difficult.

[shisenkrieg]

i find it offensive you dont have a basic understand of world history, and i think he would agree so stfu :)

[TheGodlessGuitarist]

@cellovid "I find it offensive to my dignity that I should accept his pontification on face value"

Get one of his books, you will find hundreds of citations for official state documentation, private letters (now published), whilstleblower documents, declassified CIA reports ad nauseum. I have followed many citations up, and so far he has been 100% correct, but if you have integrity it is up to you to do the same with any source in order to satisfy yourself as to their credibility.

[TheJulienT]

chomsky for president

[EmoreButts]

I am just curious... What's Chomsky's address in Cuba again? Oh, you mean he lives in America still!??

[epiphany55]

Pretty weak argument. Would you like to expand on it or is it not worth it?

[AnarchyDavey]

I know, hard to believe that America could produce one the "most important intellectuals alive". Cuba's really just known for producing extremely good doctors...

[preadamite1]

Continued- Neither the U.S. or the USSR posed an ACTUAL threat to each other. What they did was STAND each other up. The mere presence of one allowed the presence of the other. The USSR used the "threat" of the U.S. to invade Afghanistan while the U.S. used the "threat' of "communism" and stoping the spread of it to overthrow various govt in LAtin AMerica and Asia. In other words they used the mythical threat to each other to increase their hegemony. BOTH did this. IT was a GAME.

[DanMorgan98]

Certainly you can make this case after the 1961, the year the Berlin Wall was erected, after which most of US and USSR posturing was merely aggressive saber rattling. Before 1961 it is insane to say that the USSR was not a threat to the US.

[CarlaSun2001]

Perhaps they believe that by imposing the colonial language of calling the other uncivilized and state sponsor of terrorists, their mass murder and moral annihilation will go unnoticed. The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. J.F. Kennedy.

[reyesjaen07]

Latin and South America? What is "Latin"? is "South America" separate from Latin America if by "Latin" you meant Latin America? I was born and raised in Latin America and have never heard of "Latin and South America" Latin America is in America, Latino America that is, which includes Central and South America as well as much of the Caribbean.

[Jem223]

If one were to read any small section of the Federalist Papers they would know that the U.S. state is based on the Roman Republic and not the empire, particularly in respect to the indirect representation and the primacy of law. To say the system was based on the Roman Empire is both historically false and systematically inconsistent.

[bberntson]

Only in a reality in which U.S. history of military aggression is ignored. More people have less respect for the crap spewed at them from pitch rooms these days, in part due to the Chomskies  of the world who open eyes to propaganda techniques.

[nodestinymanifest]

The Roman empire was based in its republican system. without such republic the roman empire would never exist....not sure? An example, see how in modern US the senate and congress are formed by a small group of people who are elected for life, a plutocracy in its purest roman imperial style.

US was founded as an empire...Rome becomes an empire with a humble republic as origin, while the US was founded to be always in expansion.

[MrFrankBullitt]

Chomsky is great.

[TheSophist2007]

@MrFrankBullitt go chomskers! :)

[Dogar230]

These videos are one of the most depressing thing's I've ever seen. :(

[KashifHKhan]

PART VIII:

One of my favorite Chomsky moments is his dissection of former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice's conditions for withdrawal from Iraq: "stop the flow of foreign arms and stop the flow of foreign fighters". US is the biggest "foreign fighter" as it is the invader and occupier. Similarly, it represents the largest flow of "foreign arms" to maintain occupation. Media cannot point this out as US policy presumes that US "owns the world" and only "acts with best intentions."

-Kashif

[DELTAFORCE851]

@KashifHKhan Although you may not accept twenty-first century American foreign policy, you neglect to acknowledge the fact that the United States currently occupies an unprecendented position as the world's sole remaining superpower in the post-Cold War era. Consequently, like both the Roman and British Empires, America has the responsibility of maintaining global order and security. The neglect of this duty would result in international chaos and disorder. There are two side to every argument.

[Teapartyla]

@KashifHKhan I say we pull out of everywhere and protect the USA from within. Let's see how long it takes for the whole world to fall apart. Bunch of brainwashed children.

[KashifHKhan]

PART VII:

Finally, I believe it is important to note the role played by the powerful US media in helping US maintain and execute its hegemonistic policies. The media - including major left-wing papers - tightly control discussion and never point out any contradictions between US policy and its public proclamations.For instance, in Iraqi natives fighting US occupation are described as "insurgents" or "renegades" who are committing "aggression"! Never mind that US invaded their country.

-Kashif

[jtravis282]

You are giving a warped view. Don't confuse Iraqis hating the occupation with liking the insurgency. The insurgents aren't on the side of the people. The Coalition Forces are fighting WITH the Iraqi Army AGAINST the insurgents. The media is absolutely correct in calling them insurgents. Most Iraqis call them insurgents and terrorists. The insurgents are the ones setting off bombs in market places or during pilgramages and elections killing native Iraqis.

[nofxmike06]

@KashifHKhan Have you seen intelligence reports stating the enemy in Iraq is local national only? i don't agree with the war in Iraq either but I've been to Iraq and many of the people I spoke with personally were from Jordan or countries. I think a point that desperately needs to be made here is: The war in Iraq brought fighters from many neighboring countries and destabilized the country socially, politically, and economically beyond what it already was.

[KashifHKhan]

PART VI:

Given above-noted US historical policy, is it any wonder that neo-cons demanded "full spectrum dominance" (over land, sea, air, and space!) for America after collapse of Soviet Union? As Chomsky points out, the Cold War was nothing more than a tacit agreement between US and Soviet Union to not interfere in each other's areas of influence. With all checks on US power gone with the collapse of Soviet Union, the US was free to attempt to extend its hegemony to the entire world.

-Kashif

[preadamite1]

Actually the so called "cold war" was nothing but a PRETEXT used by BOTH sides to invade other countries militarily, depose of leaders who did not want to be beholden to them, and waste massive amounts of money on the military-industrial complex. Both sides used the "threat" of the other to encroach on the soveriegnty of other countries. America used the "communist" threat to ransack and divide Korea and kill 2 million vietnamese, overthrow govts in nicuragua, guatemala and IRan

[KashifHKhan]

PART V:

Keenan further strategized that Africa would be given to Europeans to exploit for post-war reconstruction while European colonial powers would be paid in US dollars for resources so that dollars could be recycled back to US via purchase of goods. The US policy explicitly called for it to "ensure limitation of exercise of sovereignty" by any state that might resist US plans. In plain English, this meant that there would be no free, democratic states in resource rich regions.

-Kashif

[KashifHKhan]

PART IV:

As another illustration of US empire-based expansionist strategy, consider US's central policy after WW II as enunciated by State Department's George Kennan. According to him, the US - which had 6% of the world's population and 50% of the world's wealth at that time - would focus on how to maintain this disparity! In practical terms, this meant that US would secure access to oil in Middle East and resources in Southeast Asia. (It already had access to Latin and South America).

-Kashif

[KashifHKhan]

PART III:

As an illustration of expansionist access to resources beyond US borders, consider America's hold on Latin and South America. US President, James Monroe, in his famous "Monroe Doctrine" stipulated that any attempt to influence Latin and South America by an outside power would be viewed by the US "as dangerous to our peace and safety" and would be checked with force. This meant that the US was free to set up pliant dictatorships in Latin and South America to do its bidding.

-Kashif

[KashifHKhan]

PART II:

The expansionist strategy was best described by the 6th US President John Quincy Adams as "expansion is the path to security". In early days, it involved geographic expansion in North American continent with ruthless suppression of natives. (Of course, this phase includes attempts to acquire Canada.) Later, the expansionist strategy morphed from direct geographic expansion to first hemispheric, and then global, access to resources, goods, and markets (with force, if necessary).

-Kashif

[KashifHKhan]

PART I:

I consider Chomsky to be the most brilliant and the most intellectually honest geopolitical analyst in the world. This speech is a good illustration of why that is the case. He debunks the popular perception (promulgated by US leadership and compliant media) that US is a benign global leader. He points out how US was founded as an empire and specifically modeled after the Roman Empire. As an empire, it is no surprise that it has pursued an expansionist strategy since inception.

-Kashif