Noam Chomsky on:The re-declared War on Terror( January 18, 2006)

[laststeamtrain]

The re-declared War on Terror

Amnesty International Annual Lecture hosted by TCD, delivered by Noam Chomsky at Shelbourne Hall, the Royal Dublin Society, January 18, 2006.

By Noam Chomsky

"Terror" is a term that rightly arouses strong emotions and deep concerns. The primary concern should, naturally, be to take measures to alleviate the threat, which has been severe in the past, and will be even more so in the future. To proceed in a serious way, we have to establish some guidelines. Here are a few simple ones:

(1) Facts matter, even if we do not like them.

(2) Elementary moral principles matter, even if they have consequences that we would prefer not to face.

(3) Relative clarity matters. It is pointless to seek a truly precise definition of "terror," or of any other concept outside of the hard sciences and mathematics, often even there. But we should seek enough clarity at least to distinguish terror from two notions that lie uneasily at its borders: aggression and legitimate resistance.

If we accept these guidelines, there are quite constructive ways to deal with the problems of terrorism, which are quite severe. It's commonly claimed that critics of ongoing policies do not present solutions. Check the record, and I think you will find that there is an accurate translation for that charge: "They present solutions, but I don't like them."

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info//article11655.htm

[Sparkman]

1. genius speaks. now you Chomsky nay-sayers have a shot?

[iconoclastNYC]

2. He defended the first amendment rights of a holocaust denier

SO why should we listen to what he has to say? :sarcasm:

[RJRoss]

3. I couldn't

get through reading that whole speech in one sitting (sometimes I have actual work to do!). Last week I watched "Manufacturing Consent" and was fascinated by Chomsky's clarity of thought, and his ability to deliver complex ideas in a comprehensible manner. Maybe he's best consumed in small bites.