Prof Noam Chomsky: Iran is NO Threat (2011,University College London)

[TheVigilanteinc]

Anyone building a bomb has to test it. There is NO WAY Iran will build their first bomb, and detonate it successfully and on target without testing one first. The world will know the moment they have the capability, and it is at that time the military option becomes viable.

[jammatoonarmy]

@TheVigilanteinc why would a military option then become viable??

[vidfreak56]

Not to mention that Iran could also appeal to china or russia as allies. Especially if those countries wouldnt lose much over Americas demise.

[MrZaf12]

@vidfreak56 russia will suffer as well if iran turns nuclear. they already have some problem with radical islam. russian politics is too complicated to discuss in 500 char. but basically they are all about opposing stuff so that you'll have to give them something in return. anyway, like i said, don't think the US should do it alone as well, but only the us has the global influence to make a coalition.if nothing will be done it will be much more expensive in the future.

[vidfreak56]

@MrZaf12 You could be right. I'm not sure exactly. It really depends on what Iran is going to do. Basically everyones scrambling to try and anticipate the outcome and act according to their own forecast. I think at this point America needs to WATCH Iran closely. War needs to be avoided at all costs IMO. A global coalition could also be dangerous. But in the end a decision has to be made. Personally I think Israel needs to just divide its lands between arabs and jews.

[MrZaf12]

@vidfreak56 we reached the same conclusion here in israel and the majority of israelies want to negotiate such a solution with the palestinians.problrem is that both PM ulmert and PM barak tried to reach a settlement which offered the palestinians something like all their territorial demands including east jerusalem but abbas and arafat insisted to flood israel with the descendants of the refugees from '48 and that means actually a one state solution.so we have a prob.but i still have hope.

[MrZaf12]

i can't grasp the idea that the left, people who oppose nuclear weapons in general, that are against the spread of this destructive technology, can ignore iran's intentions of building a nuclear weapon. you can oppose war, you can favor diplomacy, but bottom line, diplomacy was the way the world handled the situation for i dunno, 10 years or so. a country led by fundamental religious guys and have nuclear weapons seems like a bad idea to me.

[sprucetree49]

@MrZaf12 Well, the idea is that the US has thousands of nukes and Israel has hundreds so why wouldn't Iran want one? I don't know if the 'fundamental religious guys' would feel called upon by God to launch a nuclear attack that would lead to the end of their government, their people, and their religion but it's fair to ask. Meanwhile, do you grant Iran the right to exist and be a Muslim country if it doesn't build nuclear weapons? No, I suspect. You want them secular and Israel-friendly.

[MrZaf12]

@sprucetree49 first of all i don't give a shit about what goes on in iran. you wanna be muslim be muslim. worship the sun for all i care. yes i would prefer they would be israel friendly but even if they don't thats ok too.second,the reason they shouldn't have nukes is that adding more nukes to the equation sure as hell won't make anything better. if iran will get nukes this will trigger an arms race. the arabs will get nukes and the danger for a nuclear war will be greater.

[vidfreak56]

@MrZaf12 Sorry for buttin in, but if we keep trying to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, then they will just want to pursue it more. Don't you think they'd just want them more, to up attacks more, to unleash more violence to get its goals? And do you think a nuclear war against them would be better? Not saying nukes should fly, but the US would surely not be hurt for stopping israel support. Israel needs to try some diplomacy here.

[MrZaf12]

@vidfreak56 if i'll follow that logic then we shouldn't try and stop crime cause that will make criminals want to commit more crimes. back to iran, i think that dimplomacy is the first way to go, but it failed. same old game for years now. they are working on the nukes while negotiating with the world, the talks fail, then they wanna talk again and again. this is called stalling. look at darfur, we went for diplomacy only solution and the result 300,000 civilians murdered. now, about israel

[vidfreak56]

@MrZaf12 No. Heh. We should try to stop crime, but you have to be a realist when it comes to things you can control and things you cant. You don't stop crime by starting a war. You stop it by having control. Are you telling me a war with iran would guarentee that control? No, it will take that control away because of iran wanting to be a nuclear power. It will just give them incentive to want more power and keep trying for it. Even at the cost of the world.

[MrZaf12]

@vidfreak56 if we continue the diplomatic efforts we'll have a nuclear iran. while i do believe in diplomacy i came to a conclusion by examining the facts which i mentioned earlier, that iran uses diplomacy to gain time and talks are nothing but a hoax. i also suspect world leaders are expecting israel to do the dirty work and then scapegoat it. this is why i want to see an international coalition letting iran know that nukes are not acceptable.

[MrZaf12]

@vidfreak56 by the way, i don't think this coalition should occupy iran or have a war that is anything like iraq / afghanistan. in my opinion bombing military targets and nuclear facilities is enough to destroy their nuclear plan, minimizing western casualties and civilian casualties in the iranian side. occupying iran will be a huge mistake. you don't have to even topple the regime. its sufficient they'll get the message.

[vidfreak56]

@MrZaf12 See its kind of a damned if you do damned if you dont scenario. I think any attack against Iran (unless it ensures absolute control, which it wont) will make the US weaker because we simply lack the resources to keep fighting it. We're involved in too much of the world and it makes US citizens unsafe. Now might they do it anyway if we don't attack? Maybe (mutual destruction works here). Surely things will also get worse (economically too)if we do attack them.

[vidfreak56]

@MrZaf12 And by (mutual destruction works here) I mean MAD would prevent war. Of course im assuming that a radical jihadist isnt pushing the button.

[MrZaf12]

@vidfreak56 and may i say that i'm an israeli, i'm against israeli millitary action in iran. there is reason for global alarm and it's not an issue that involves israel only. iran posses the greatest danger to the arabs. total war in the middle east or an nuclear arms race will cause oil price to rise, western economy to collapse, a situation which might lead to war. i believe that a coalition lead by europe/US and the arabs should handle iran. israel can't and shouldn't really do anything.

[MrZaf12]

@sprucetree49 the mere question why shouldn't they have nukes if isr/us/what ever have nukes is a bad question.this isn't a game of whats fair. we're talking about human lives. you people in the us or europe don't have to live with the results of a nuclear iran (maybe) but i do. i don't want a nuclear war. what good will it do? easy for you to be advocating for world wide nukes when you won't be affected by it.

[MrZaf12]

iran is actually devoted on exporting its revolution. look at Lebanon and the iranian arm there - hezbollah. they use to say they are just fighting israel, now they kill labanese presidents, they have a party in parliment and at the same time have a millitia, there are parts of Lebanon the Lebanese gov't isnt allowed in by hezbollah.they practicly control the country. iran is the biggest threat for arabs actually. read wiki leaks, arab states are terrified by the notion of a nuclear iran.

[oODarkEnergyOo]

I hope I live to see World War 3 so I can watch this whole forsaken world fucking burn!

[VonManavis]

Democracy is not an Athenian or a Roman pioneering. All human beings one time or another progress and evolve their societies into democracies. One thing I don't understand is why the US is picking on them? To become democracies faster? Let them pave their own way! Whenever the US is messing with a country, they end up sending them back to the stone age.

[AmericansforFreeIran]

@shalbeagain- 'last polls you seen' where? Tehran-contriled media sources?

@000..whatever,

Chomsky is the only source you mention, not even a specific citation. Real strong argument there, boyo.

The 5M figure was DOD/ OSS generated, based on capability assesments and intel. Don' t want to believe the official sources? Fine. But don' t act like I'M ignorant because I'm not the one blindly believing Chomskyite agitprop.

[Changeling9au]

Noam Chomsky's role here is to divert people away from the real objectives of the US foreign policy establishment and then create a morality tale about the decoy story.

The US didn't invade Iraq "for no reason" - its primary objective was what the result has been: to turn Iraq into Iran's westernmost province.

Indeed Chomsky will never tell you that Iran is a puppet of the US.

See the Iran/Iraq sections of hirhome dot c0m and tenc dot net for documented details.

[AmericansforFreeIran]

Second, the US does not export terror. You cite no example, it is a nuncupatory statement. The US used nuked to end a war. The invasion of Japan would have killed five million. It was the lesser of two evils. Third, our org suports counterrevolution, not war. This is Tehran's greatest fear. They have little support from the Iranian people.

[000000AEA000000]

@AmericansforFreeIran ufff. Hardly heard such bullshit in a long while. All credible people who give a damn about sources(including Chomsky) say the exact opposite. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was utterly injust on all respects. Not only were the Japanese trying to surrender from even the position of the 皇室 down, long long before it had to happen, the "prophetic" number "5 million" is just as much flawed.

Go out to research for the details at least.

[AmericansforFreeIran]

@bigmikemcbastard- tegards your first statement-Tehran does far more than just talk. They are very active globally, establishing the necessary financial network to suport proxy guerilla action, like that in Thailand. They have the intent and will to escalate their effort to overt

action. Spending millions on missile systems and weapons development is not just for show. (cont.)

[AmericansforFreeIran]

Without regime change in Iran war is inevitable, whether the West wants it or not.

Chomsky reminds me of Neville Chamberlain in the 30's, waxing eloquent on how Hitler can be reasoned with.

Iran is the global financier of terror, and is not just whistling Dixie when they say they want to destroy the US and Israel.

They are dead serious.

[BigMikeMcBastard]

@AmericansforFreeIran Actually, no, they aren't serious about wanting to destroy anyone. They know if they used nukes at all they would be wiped out. It's all just hot air. Saber rattling is an important part of any authoritarian regime retaining its legitimacy. They have to make their political base believe that they need the dictatorship in order to be safe.

Going to war would be an incredibly stupid move and would only make matters worse for the US and Israel.

[BigMikeMcBastard]

@AmericansforFreeIran And, as it happens, the USA is by far the biggest financier of terror. The US very casually uses the threat of force to coerce other nations into cooperating with it. Iran shouldn't get a nuclear weapon? That's interesting, because the last time I checked only one nation had ever used nukes on people, and both times it was against civilian targets.

[urcritic]

If the US does invade Iran, it won't do it until after the election. Just keep an eye on what Israel does around the 6th of November when the US is completely distracted by the election - Last time, the very day of the election, they broke a cease fire in Gaza by shooting 6 Hamas members, thus inciting a retaliation which was used as an excuse to massacre around 1,200 to 1,400 Palestinians. Ironically, doomsday on December 21st could become a self-fulfilling prophecy by proxy.

[smoothMousePad]

"Follow orders, in other words." ~ LOL

[MrRotstift]

I think it is time to start a new recruitment exercise - of those scholars of international law and international politics who do not any longer want to see their academic discipline simply legitimise the brutalisation of international relations brought on by the West. Come together and build a think tank for peace - in the UK !

[OhmgrownCron]

Indifference. Sums up Chomsky.

[The2chatons]

The regime of the mollahs is a threat to the Iranian people, and that in it self is enough for me to say that the regime of the islamic republic is a THREAT!

[winkie3331]

@The2chatons LOL

[tangolas]

but erin burnett says they are!

SNARK

[FinisReflectatOpus]

The mark of genius is the ability to be so clear (to make it look so easy). He's been supporting the foreign policy of Ron Paul for obvious reasons, which is interesting, and very non-partisan. Sometimes I think he does a little bit of "left gate keeping", but it's not too bad. All in all, I really love this guy. His mind is very clean and incredibly well organized. His command of facts is so instant and effortless. I don't think I've ever seen him caught out in any way. Amazing.

[195ashes]

@FinisReflectatOpus He has in some recent videos but that might be because he's getting very old.

[1woodsorrel]

@racistatheist666 I hear ya makes me sick! That can't silence me I wear a Ron Paul shirt everyday!!! Can't black me out lamestream media!!!

[nathfrancis01]

This inevitable conflict with Iran can only be avoided if more people oppose it, so if you are tired of the garbage being spoken by western governments please just tell anybody who will listen that they have nothing to gain from warr with Iran, if you know anybody who has no itrest in politics plead with them to read about Iran, they will surely reach the same conclusions by their own accord, Don't bother trying to convert the war-lovers they are a lost cause.

[CitizenRaisingCain]

@ZobaK1 @111964100 Ahmadinjead said: "Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad." Rezhim-e means regime. He never referred to Israel as a nation, but their political regime. The Persian word for map is "nagsheh" and was not used by Ahamdinejad at all. In realizing the reality of this lie, hopefully it makes you question the propaganda system in place which is being used to demonize Iran.

Ahmadinejad DID NOT threaten to "wipe Israel off the map."- YouTube

[ZobaK1]

every country has its own Kadyrovs, Quislings and Chamberlains... and this poor old guy is one of those...

sad, sad old man!

"Peace in our time" shit is here again!

people never learn!

[ThisSaturatedMind]

@ZobaK1

Since you brought up World War 2, Germany invaded Poland because they claimed that the nation to the east posed an existential threat, and they would be stabilizing central Europe. Would you explain to me how your analogy fits the current reality? Iran seems more like Poland and that seems truer than any other historical ties. Who is the true aggressor? Whose air force can actually reach the other nation? Did you listen to this whole video?

[ZobaK1]

@ThisSaturatedMind hm...Iran and its religious fanatics and psychopats are saying openly that they will conqer the whole world, treathening to wipe out a certain country from map of the world, and now they wanna get nukebombs?

this is more like Hitlers "drang nach ost" then Poland, sir!

Hizballahs logo on flags is mushroom cloud, those psykos mean it! its not funny sir!

should the free world just sitting and waiting, like it was with Hitler? Dont think so...

[ThisSaturatedMind]

@ZobaK1

No. I did not agree with you. The U.S. is like Germany because we are exaggerating the threat from Iran. Hizballah does not have a mushroom cloud on their flag; it has Arabic calligraphy that says "Hizballah" on a green background. They never said that they want to destroy Israel. Their president said the regime will be consigned to the pages of history. In other words: Change. They want change in Israel's policies.

[111964100]

@ThisSaturatedMind

What the hell are you talking about??? They dont want to destroy Israel??? Are you listening to what they say???? How many times they have to say that till you understand?????

[ThisSaturatedMind]

@111964100

You have heard a propagated misquote. Juan Cole, a University of Michigan Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History, agrees that Ahmadinejad's statement should be translated as, "the Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e eshghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad).

[ThisSaturatedMind]

@111964100 According to Cole, "Ahmadinejad did not say he was going to 'wipe Israel off the map' because no such idiom exists in Persian." Instead, "he did say he hoped its regime, i.e., a Jewish-Zionist state occupying Jerusalem, would collapse." The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated the phrase similarly, as "this regime" must be "eliminated from the pages of history."

[adeelsk4]

@ZobaK1 the free world :D u r quite funny sir.... the free world said, u are with us or u are against us.... tell me sir is that civilized??? please research instead of listening to the propaganda... please open your eyes... the usa foreign policy is nothing but comical. its a bully with bad excuses mate! think for the love of a bicycle!!!

[qxw667]

Iran is a threat to her own people and the sponsor of many terrorist organizations; Ahmedinejad is an illegitimate president and a professional killer who is the mastermind behind many assassinations, especially of Kurdish leaders.

For a peaceful Middle East and The World, Iranian Murderous Mullah Regime must be destroyed and its leader, like Ahmedinejad must be hanged publicly, the way he hangs several dozen people in public squares.

[adeelsk4]

@qxw667 follow the money mate... compare his bank account to any of ur western leaders... seriously you ppl are brainwashed...

[MahBoii1]

Methinks he might a good president make.

[TheSaltyAdmiral]

@MahBoii1

Speak like Yoda, you do, yes.

[CitizenRaisingCain]

@granddad2002 Hey Gramps - Did you know Canada has "nuclear options" with the capability to build "nuclear weapons"? You know, like the ones the Yanks used to annihilate thousands of innocent Japs? Did you know Canada supplied bombs and chemical weaponry including Agent Orange in the effort to wipe Vietnam off the map? Why wasn't Israel and the UN condemning these war crimes? Why no retaliation or threat to invade Canada? Grab a clue from my previous comments.

[CitizenRaisingCain]

"The murder of American President John F. Kennedy brought to an abrupt end the massive pressure being applied by the U.S. administration on the government of Israel to discontinue the nuclear program. Had Kennedy remained alive, it is doubtful whether Israel would today have a nuclear option." - Dr. Avner Cohen, internationally acclaimed expert on Israel's nuclear program and author of the book, "The Worst Kept Secret: Israel's Bargain with the Bomb"

[CitizenRaisingCain]

"The high office of the president has been used to foment a plot to destroy America's freedom, and before I leave office I must inform the citizens of this plight." - President John F. Kennedy, November 12, 1963. (Date of Kennedy Assassination: November 22, 1963)

Watch: John F Kennedy Warning For US ALL!!!!

[driliveira]

Hmmmm... Prof Chomsky also said in the past Khmer Rouge was no threat. Actually he was sympathetic to those criminals. If you are young and don´t know about what this kind of people have done (The Khmer) do a quick research in the net. Wise professor my ass.

[trifulquita15]

then lets make business with Iran, the West bought Iranian oil for years anyway

Iran executes sinners, but these atheists support a religious regime? Crazy world, crazy people

[CAKBABYLONSPORT]

your velcome to join my "cause" on facebook, called IF I COULD'T VOTE IN THE USA, I'LL VOTE FOR RON PAUL. I know its not much, but i feel that i needed to express my opinion, even though Im not american.

[crasite]

about iran, what if I make a pig bomb? will they die?

[granddad2002]

Iran's nuclear option is clear. Civilian and military nuclear technology is their goal. US policy can change on a dime between elections. Iran is monetarily and technically capable to pursuing its goal; the political debate for proliferation has been to 'discourage' new nuclear club members. The real fallout is not going to be an Iran with nukes... but ever nation in the middle east will have justification to have its own warheads and delivery systems. The process for discourse becomes arms race

[CitizenRaisingCain]

@boazbrill @WalangDiyos Iran isn't the threat. Turn off the jewnews. You're being lied to.

Man pleads guilty to illegally trafficking kidneys from Israel - Nov. 04, 2011- NaturalNews

Israel Police Uncovers Organ Trafficking Ring - Haaretz Israel News

Israeli Guilty of First Organ Trafficking Case in US History - Veterans Today

Organ Gangs Force Poor to Sell Kidneys for Desperate Israelis - Bloomberg

Imagine if these scumbags were Arabs. You think the presstitutes would ignore the stories?

[jakebenjaminsk7ss]

@C jewnews? you're antisemitism bleeds through your claims, which leaves you to really lack credibility. Noam Chomsky is Jewish, therefore i assume you also claim he is a part of "jewnews", which means im sure you're just as skeptical about his claims about Iran as you are to say, John Stewart?

[jakebenjaminsk7ss]

@CitizenRaisingCain besides that minor media lie is really insignificant when you put it into perspective with the outspoken belief of outspoken persecution of Jews in SOME of the surrounding Arab nations media, in other words, you have large gaps in your double standards. assuming your American, i'm sure you know a thing or two about failed media sources (ABC/FOX etc.)

[justgivemethetruth]

Al Qaeda's military spending was small too.

Limited capacity beyond Iran's borders when borders include the Straits of Hormuz it's actually a big deal.

The deterrent capacity might be a valid argument if Iran's government represented its people, but since they are killing people who demonstrate I don't think it does.

The US hegemony wants to absord Iran, do you expect that is going to change. If it did would the world get anything better? I'd be all for that, but I doubt it,

[boazbrill]

Looking from a safe distance developing a Nuclear BOMB is an act of "Sovereignty". Funny. Operating Suicide BOMBERS on civilians is also "sovereignty"?? Because the same vicious regime that suppresses its own people does everything in its power to send suicide bombers to the cities on Israel, and, just by coincidence, is saying that it will use the nuclear bomb to wipe-out Israel. This is called "defensive policy". Israel, by the way, is 2000Km from Teheran. Chamberline was much better.

[JackKangaroo1]

While giving testimony at the Nuremberg Trials, former Nazi Herman Goering noted that "The people do not want war but can be made to accept it. All you have to do is to convince them that they are under attack and they will willingly go to war with their perceived enemies." Our own gov't is playing the same game today. We willingly went to war with Iraq when convinced they had WMDs by the Bush Administration. Now we are getting prepped for war again, this time with Iran. Wake up, people!

[WalangDiyos]

The times they are a changing! Iran will soon have the capacity to launch missiles with nuclear heads. Nuclear weapons in and by themselves are not NECESSARILY a threatening situation but Iran due to the religious/jihadist nature of Iran's rulers ANYTHING can happen! The audience may be ready to chance it, but Israel won't and I understand their viewpoint.

[adnanaeroadnan]

Chomsky's main criticism regarding the U.S. foreign is its hypocrisy, but it is naive to assume that a country can attain superpower status while playing fair; the fact that the average American thinks the U.S. is the beacon of justice and freedom for the rest of the world shows a baffling level of naivety, a peasant in the third world perhaps has more common sense.

[GhilliedUp]

People who just believe what one man says are just as bad if not worse than the people who just believe the media. What Prof Chomsky puts forward is just an opinion, one you should take to form your own. Me, personally, I didn't agree with everything he said, since Iran obtaining nukes would also create an arms race between its neighbours such as Saudi Arabia in addition to other problems. There's lots of implications of the matter.

[LodovicoAriosto1]

what happened in the US when you need scholars to tell you the obvious truths? AND most of you still believe to nazi like propaganda instead of the people who have the actual knowledge and present facts?

[i3u7n5]

Holy shit, Professor Ambien. Chomsky can make even the topic of Iran and the M.E. boring.

[system0system0]

@i3u7n5 go back to watching fox television duche

[mirasprofile]

Smart smart man that Noam,more people should listen to him. The way it is only Israel is allowed nuclear weapons in mid east.What else is new? All this continuous ranting about Iran is just to condition us to justify attack on Iran to make Israel happy,and able to bully the rest of us fools

[lololololol47]

the day Iran gets nukes is the day we say goodbye to the middle east. That place is gonna be new Iran faster than we can say fatwa.

[Ichtiostega]

DAT OIL!

[TheUltimateCynic]

Noam Chumpsky is the the Michael Moore of academia.

[Salvysahagun]

@TheUltimateCynic

Meh Noam Chomksy is what happens when your spend your life in a library and not out in the real world. While he gets good anylization I would trust him to govern me.

[lololololol47]

@TheUltimateCynic ha I hope you meant that as an insult. Wait you couldn't have meant it as a compliment so nevermind.

[AscensionofMen]

Wait... Chomsky looks exactly like the old man from the animated movie "Up." Well I guess the real Chomsky is much cuter.

[bfoaliali]

@AscensionofMen That was so funny to read.

[1woodsorrel]

Wow this man is spot on. Funny how we are telling our children not to bully kids in school but we adults are allowed to bully the world and call it stabilizing the region!!! Hilarious we should all be sent to the principles office. Such shame...

[buzzin1975]

@1woodsorrel clarification. White adults. It's Whitey that has perpetuated this nonsense over the last 500 years.

[turquoise770]

@1woodsorrel i agree! he's even much better than neville chamberlain!

[racistathiest666]

@1woodsorrel So is RON PAUL!! But the media along with the money masters are silencing him!

[gilgolefanim]

But, iranian people want to replace their regime

[frankvonfrauner]

@gilgolefanim Iran is a democracy. They want regime change just as much as American republicans want Obama out of office.

[nakednous]

@gilgolefanim nowdays everybody everywhere wants it, or who don't?

[tstruss912]

This is NOT news to anybody who reads foreign policy journals. Iran is a pussycat; we're a pitbull....and now we want that oil....like we did in '53....

[luna252525]

What will Iran do when the USA and the NATO attacks them they have no change at all...Thats why they making nuclear bombs in my opion..

[MonkWarrior108]

US officials nor mainstream media will cover these facts because it seems, US military-industrial complex is determined to attack another country.... sigh. 

[HaidarHK]

Quite subtle and direct synopsis ... Much Respect.