The Myth of American Idealism - by Noam Chomsky & Nathan J Robinson Hardcover

About the Book

"The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the incisive critiques of U.S. power that have made Noam Chomsky a "global phenomenon," one of the most widely known public intellectuals of all time. Surveying the history of U.S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and his co-author Nathan J. Robinson vividly trace the way the American pursuit of global domination has wrought havoc in country after country - without, ironically, making Americans any safer. And they explore how dominant elites in the United States have pushed self-serving myths about this country's commitment to "spreading democracy," while pursuing a reckless foreign policy that served the interest of few and endangered all too many. Chomsky and Robinson range across the globe, offering penetrating accounts of Washington's relationship with the Global South, its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -all justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and the benevolent intentions of American policy makers. The same kinds of myths that have led to repeated disastrous wars, they argue, are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China that imperil humanity's future. Examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U.S. policies are continuing to exacerbate global threats. For well over half a century, Noam Chomsky has committed himself to exposing governing ideologies and criticizing his country's unchecked use of military power. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to the conclusions he has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism"--

Book Synopsis

"For anyone wanting to find out more about the world we live in . . . there is one simple answer: read Noam Chomsky." --The New Statesman

A sharp indictment of both American foreign policy and the national myths that support it, and an urgent warning of the threat that U.S. power poses to humanity's future

The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the incisive critiques of U.S. power that have made Noam Chomsky one of the most widely known public intellectuals of all time. Surveying the history of U.S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and coauthor Nathan J. Robinson vividly trace the way the American pursuit of global domination has wrought havoc in country after country.

Chomsky and Robinson offer penetrating accounts of Washington's relationship with the Global South, its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan--all justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and the benevolent intentions of American policymakers. The same myths that have led to repeated disastrous wars, they argue, are now imperiling humanity's future. Examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U.S. policies are continuing to exacerbate global threats.

For well over half a century, Noam Chomsky has committed himself to exposing governing ideologies and criticizing his country's unchecked power. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly readable entry to a lifetime of thought and activism.

Review Quotes

"Noam Chomsky has been proved right . . . The record of hypocrisy recounted by Chomsky and Robinson is sobering and convincing. No open-minded reader could absorb this book and continue to believe the pious rationales that U.S. leaders invoke to justify their bare-knuckled actions." --Stephen Walt, Foreign Policy

"Robinson and Chomsky tell a sweeping story of American aggression and amorality in language that is simple, even innocent . . . an incredibly valuable teaching tool for teenagers and young adults as they become politically engaged . . . Chomsky's gift has always been to reduce geopolitical actions to their most basic relationships of reciprocity and equality; this book is a holistic argument that the United States perpetually operates from a position of domination, violence, and tyranny with other countries . . . An introductory document, something to refer back to long after a first read." --Los Angeles Review of Books

"Required reading for those seeking to learn about the blood-soaked history of the American Empire. Without a doubt, Chomsky and Robinson have fulfilled their responsibility as intellectuals to speak the truth and to expose lies." --The Nation

"Fantastic . . . almost like a 101 class on Noam Chomsky." --Sam Seder, "The Majority Report"

"Insightful, scathingly honest . . . For well over half a century a rare voice of sanity and reason in the wilderness of American hypocrisy, lies, and dissembling, [Chomsky] is high on my list of American patriot heroes . . . Robinson, too, is a truth teller." --New Hampshire Gazette

"The most accessible and coherent introduction to Chomsky's ideas. Chomsky's virtues are in abundant evidence here. He writes with absolute clarity and a withering sarcasm . . . Reading Chomsky can be truly eye-opening for those unaware of what he reveals: facts that are rarely discussed in the mainstream American media or in its schools." --The Irish Times

"Vital . . . Chomsky shows how, time and again, America refuses to accept the same constraints on its conduct that it demands of others, with uniformly disastrous results." --The Progressive

"Well-written and thoroughly researched . . . The Myth of American Idealism is an ideal update of classic Chomsky for 2024 . . . The warning [Chomsky and Robinson] offer about the danger of US imperialism could not be more dire, and their clarion call to action could not be more clear." -- NACLA.org

"A potent critique of the ideology behind America's foreign interventions and its status as a global power, and a treatise on how the nation's hubristic pursuit of 'spreading democracy' threatens not only the delicate balance of global peace, but the already-declining health of our planet. Who it's for: Chomskyites; policy wonks and casual critics of American recklessness alike." --The Millions

"Blistering . . . The authors' top-versus-bottom analysis becomes strikingly perceptive in a final chapter analyzing how today a global elite benefits from world-killing fossil fuels. This offers rich food for thought." --Publishers Weekly

"[This book] couldn't be more timely. An outspoken critic of American empire for most of his life, here Chomsky zeroes in on the myths underlying that imperial expansion, namely the idea that the spread of democracy (no matter the methods) is an unalloyed good. The problem, of course, is that powerful men in small rooms who think themselves both wise and just tend to do the most damage." --Literary Hub

"Meticulously referenced, thorough research . . . An altogether fascinating book . . . The Myth of American Idealism is in line with everything the 96-year old Chomsky has been advocating all through his political activism. The fact that this book came out while Chomsky was in poor health and prior to his 97th birthday--on 7 December--makes it particularly significant and important." --Al-Ahram

Praise for Noam Chomsky

"Chomsky is a global phenomenon . . . He may be the most widely read American voice on foreign policy on the planet." --The New York Times Book Review

"With relentless logic, Chomsky bids us to listen closely to what our leaders tell us--and to discern what they are leaving out . . . Agree with him or not, we lose out by not listening." --BusinessWeek

"For anyone wanting to find out more about the world we live in . . . there is one simple answer: read Noam Chomsky." --The New Statesman

"It is possible that, if the United States goes the way of nineteenth-century Britain, Chomsky's interpretation will be the standard among historians a hundred years from now. " --The New Yorker

"America's most useful citizen." --The Boston Globe

"Noam Chomsky . . . is a major scholarly resource. Not to have read [him] . . . is to court genuine ignorance." --The Nation

"America, in [Chomsky's] view, must be reined in, and he makes the case with verve. . . . We should understand it as a plea to end American hypocrisy, to introduce a more consistently principled dimension to American relations with the world, and, instead of assuming American benevolence, to scrutinize critically how the US government actually exercises its still-unmatched power. " --The New York Review of Books

About the Author

Noam Chomsky is institute professor emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and lau­reate professor in the Agnes Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. His work is widely credited with having revolutionized the field of modern linguistics, and he is equally renowned for his incisive writings on global affairs and U.S. foreign policy. The single most cited and published living author, winner of numer­ous international awards, Chomsky has written over one hundred books, including the bestselling political works Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, and Who Rules the World?.

Nathan J. Robinson is the cofounder and editor in chief of Current Affairs magazine. He is the author of Why You Should Be a Socialist and Responding to the Right, and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Republic, among others. Robinson holds a JD from Yale Law School and a PhD in sociology and social policy from Harvard University.