Chomsky on Iran and Nuclear Development

Are assumptions about Iran wrong?

NOAM CHOMSKY, PROFESSOR OF LINGUISTICS, MIT: Well, if I can make a comment about the stated reasons, the very fact that we're discussing them tells us a lot about the sort of intellectual culture and moral culture in the United States. I mean, suppose it was true that Iran is helping insurgents in Iraq. I mean, wasn't the United States helping insurgents when the Russians invaded Afghanistan? Did we think there was anything wrong with that? I mean, Iraq's a country that was invaded and is under military occupation. You can't have a serious discussion about whether someone else is interfering in it. The basic assumption underlying the discussion is that we own the world. So if we invade and occupy another country, then it's a criminal act for anyone to interfere with it. What about the nuclear weapons? I mean, are there countries with nuclear weapons in the region? Israel has a couple of hundred nuclear weapons. The United States gives more support to it than any other country in the world. The Bush administration is trying very hard to push through an agreement that not only authorizes India's illegal acquisition of nuclear weapons but assists it. That's what the U.S.-Indo Nuclear Pact is about. And, furthermore, there happens to be an obligation of the states in the Security Council and elsewhere to move towards establishing a nuclear weapons-free zone in the region. Now that would include Iran and Israel and any U.S. forces deployed there. That's part of Resolution 687. Now to your question. The real reasons for the attack on Iran, the sanctions, and so on go back into history. I mean, we like to forget the history; Iranians don't. In 1953, the United States and Britain overthrew the parliamentary government and installed a brutal dictator, the Shah, who ruled until 1979. And during his rule, incidentally, the United States was strongly supporting the same programs they're objecting to today. In 1979, the population overthrew the dictator, and since then the United States has been essentially torturing Iran. First it tried a military coup. Then it supported Saddam Hussein during Iraq's invasion of Iran, which killed hundreds of thousands of people. Then, after that was over, the United States started imposing harsh sanctions on Iran. And now it's escalating that. The point is: Iran is out of control. You know, it's supposed to be a U.S.-client state, as it was under the Shah, and it's refusing to play that role.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Iran
• Chomsky
• Iranian
• Policy
• Nuclear
• USA
• US
• United
• States
• Insurgents
• Iraq
• War

[Carlson31]

So true,cant form a grp the UN and steal land from one people and transplant another people,w/o them hating the parties involved

[endondia]

Dirty politics... so what will be hex war for?

[oldstock1607]

@WhyMeMoFo "America-Firster?" I don't even know what thet is, unless you're referring to Pat Buchanan's now-defunct political party--and no, I am not, nor have I ever been a member of that party. And re: Mr. Chomsky: If you can't see the extreme irony of a man literally building a career of portraying the U.S. as a "terrror state" yet CHOOSING to live here his entire life, then I just feel sorry for you and your blind allegiance to the cult of Chomsky.

[WhyMeMoFo]

@Xenu Who said you were? I read kamran, and he is simply transposing 'jew' for 'Zionist', I get that most people in the us don't distinguish, and I try not to punish them for it. Just like your average Ron Paul kook who talks about 'Libertarianism'. I understand what they mean, and try not to bash actual Libertarianism.

[Xenu]

@WhyMeMoFo I wasn't referring Chomsky, you dumbass. I was responding to kamran4757.

[WhyMeMoFo]

@Xenu Stupidity for stupidity.

Defenders of the criminal state of Israel have too long gotten away with slandering their critics with the label of 'AntiSemite' I would argue that Zionists do far more damage to Israeli's than a million comments by Dr Chomsky. OOPS! I'm being reasonable now....

[Xenu]

@WhyMeMoFo Profound.

[WhyMeMoFo]

@Xenu Whenever people say stuff like that, 'You're racist', it's fun to throw it right back at them....

Hey, if someone wants to have a Stupid Party, I'm happy to join in the idiocy!

[Xenu]

@WhyMeMoFo I am?

[WhyMeMoFo]

@Xenu YOU are the anti-semite.

[WhyMeMoFo]

@FalseCausality I agree, Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing, and in fact a good number of my Jewish friends are among the most appalled by the criminal Zionist controlled Israeli government. A good deal of the Israeli people are the victims of their Zionist government.