How the World Works
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- Author：Noam Chomsky
- ISBN：0241145392
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Summary
According to The New York Times， Noam Chomsky is “arguably the most important intellectual alive。” But he isn’t easy to read 。 。 。 or at least he wasn’t until these books came along。 Made up of intensively edited speeches and interviews， they offer something not found anywhere else: pure Chomsky， with every dazzling idea and penetrating insight intact， delivered in clear， accessible， reader-friendly prose。
Published as four short books in the famous Real Story series—What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many; Secrets， Lies and Democracy; and The Common Good—they’ve collectively sold almost 600，000 copies。
And they continue to sell year after year after year because Chomsky’s ideas become， if anything， more relevant as time goes by。 For example， twenty years ago he pointed out that “in 1970， about 90% of international capital was used for trade and long-term investment—more or less productive things—and 10% for speculation。 By 1990， those figures had reversed。” As we know， speculation continued to increase exponentially。 We’re paying the price now for not heeding him them。
Published as four short books in the famous Real Story series—What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many; Secrets， Lies and Democracy; and The Common Good—they’ve collectively sold almost 600，000 copies。
And they continue to sell year after year after year because Chomsky’s ideas become， if anything， more relevant as time goes by。 For example， twenty years ago he pointed out that “in 1970， about 90% of international capital was used for trade and long-term investment—more or less productive things—and 10% for speculation。 By 1990， those figures had reversed。” As we know， speculation continued to increase exponentially。 We’re paying the price now for not heeding him them。
Reviews
Tawhid Rahman
，
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested to be introduced into the world of Noam Chomsky。 It is a collection of several books - ranging from old and new publications which are essentially interviews and discussions that he attended。 However， the editor of the book needed to do more to keep the text more relevant and relatable。 There are references of incidents and people that need more context - for example， for an international reader in 2021， the life and work of a regional labor un I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested to be introduced into the world of Noam Chomsky。 It is a collection of several books - ranging from old and new publications which are essentially interviews and discussions that he attended。 However， the editor of the book needed to do more to keep the text more relevant and relatable。 There are references of incidents and people that need more context - for example， for an international reader in 2021， the life and work of a regional labor union leader in Brazil is more than obscure and requires at least a footnote。 Apart from the need to frequently looking up people's names and studying briefly about their lives， I found the text very engaging。 。。。more
Un Ches
，
O primă parte a unei recenzii/prezentări este aici O primă parte a unei recenzii/prezentări este aici 。。。more
Sorin Gabriel
，
I’ve had quite huge expectations of this book。 But this is actually a collection of Noam’s books （ or parts of them ）， that he wrote at the beginning of 1990s。 The main problem is that reading it nowadays is a bit hard to relate， although many of the problems persist to this day。 That makes this book not necessarily difficult to read， but hard to enjoy。
Zaryab Fatima
，
According to The New York Times， Noam Chomsky is “arguably the most important intellectual alive。” But he isn’t easy to read 。 。 。 or at least he wasn’t until these books came along。 Made up of intensively edited speeches and interviews， they offer something not found anywhere else: pure Chomsky， with every dazzling idea and penetrating insight intact， delivered in clear， accessible， reader-friendly prose。Published as four short books in the famous Real Story series—What Uncle Sam Really Wants; According to The New York Times， Noam Chomsky is “arguably the most important intellectual alive。” But he isn’t easy to read 。 。 。 or at least he wasn’t until these books came along。 Made up of intensively edited speeches and interviews， they offer something not found anywhere else: pure Chomsky， with every dazzling idea and penetrating insight intact， delivered in clear， accessible， reader-friendly prose。Published as four short books in the famous Real Story series—What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many; Secrets， Lies and Democracy; and The Common Good—。 。。。more
Valeria Flores
，
This opened my eyes。
Joseph Langham
，
Overall， this book is an excellent overview of Chomsky's insights and perspectives on a range of issues。 Anyone picking it up， however， should go into it with the appropriate expectations。 Composed of 4 books created from interviews with Chomsky， at times I found the way in which the book changes topics a little frustrating， particularly where little information or background is given on the topic at hand; the book itself should thus be taken not as a piece of in-depth analysis but as a represen Overall， this book is an excellent overview of Chomsky's insights and perspectives on a range of issues。 Anyone picking it up， however， should go into it with the appropriate expectations。 Composed of 4 books created from interviews with Chomsky， at times I found the way in which the book changes topics a little frustrating， particularly where little information or background is given on the topic at hand; the book itself should thus be taken not as a piece of in-depth analysis but as a representative of Chomsky's worldview。 It also should probably come with a disclaimer that the books， and therefore their comments， are now very much dated （the books inside being published between 1992 and 1998）Despite this all， Chomsky asserts insightful views on a wide range of subject matter。 His basic principles of opposition to illegitimate power systems， consideration of the meaning or reality of a true democracy， as well as remaining informed and active participants are things that can surely only serve to benefit society。 Most importantly I think， the book serves to peak the interest and provoke thought and further enquiry; once again， things from which we can only benefit。 。。。more
Francesco
，
Good content， very solid， but also repetitive。 Given the form of interviews， it does not flow smoothly and proved at times long and boring。 Still， good book to read to know more about Chomsky political ideas and his point of view on the world
Abhishek Anand
，
Must read if you like conspiracy theories。。。。only difference is that all the things said by Chomsky are true！！
Sivasothi N。
，
I read this book to reflect on events of the past， as I lived through it。 Piecing together events was helped by the non-aligned movement which suggested alternatives to American narratives， but Chomsky would have been explosive！ This work dates from the late 80’s to the 1990’s。 The book was conversational in tone， derived from edited speeches and interviews， and can be read as a series of thought-provoking notes。 And it’s insightful take is just as relevant today。
Robert McCabe
，
He’s really smart， but all the ranting get tiring。 But can’t say I disagree with him
Simon
，
Rather than write a review - here are some key snippets from the book which could lend themselves to a multitude of dissertations and theses:-> The US is the post-WWII global power with anti-Soviet documents like NSC 68 and represents a liberal extreme that does not apply the Monroe Doctrine to its own exercising of power on the world-> The US subverts elections， manipulates through aid and even installs war criminals like SS officer Klaus Barbie to suppress antifascist resistance in foreign nat Rather than write a review - here are some key snippets from the book which could lend themselves to a multitude of dissertations and theses:-> The US is the post-WWII global power with anti-Soviet documents like NSC 68 and represents a liberal extreme that does not apply the Monroe Doctrine to its own exercising of power on the world-> The US subverts elections， manipulates through aid and even installs war criminals like SS officer Klaus Barbie to suppress antifascist resistance in foreign nations; the most prolific legacy of suppression by the US has been in Latin America。-> Some US imposed imperialist coups （bomb attacks， sabotage， regime change）: 1953 Iran， 1954 Guatemala， 1963/65 Dominican Republic， 1964 Brazil。 For more， see: https://davidswanson。org/warlist/-> Keeping a lever on power: US excusing their coups and suppressions of Communist-led nations with the rationale of the Domino Theory scare-mongering （one nation succeeds under Communism， many more will follow）。-> The use of proxy wars when engaging with competing economic blocs （for example: with Russia in Vietnam） as a Cold War tactic。-> The US arming extremists to fight for US interests （for example: Isis in Syria， Contras in Nicaragua， ex-Nazis in Bolivia）。-> Once a US coup d'etat， nations such as Panama descend into a drug trafficking within the vacuum。-> The US will back some dictators （Trujillo in Dominican Republic， Somoza in Nicaragua， Marcos in Philippines， Duvalier in Haiti， the Khmer Rouge indirectly in Vietnam， even Saddam Hussein in Iraq for a time） if they serve American interests whilst the likes of Gaddafi， Idi Amin， Fidel Castro and Ayatollah Khomenei were primed for CIA assassination or a coup d'etat。-> The humanitarian crisis in East Timor remains one of the most historically underreported war crimes enacted with US backing - 700，000 killed， exceeding slaughters by Pol Pot in Cambodia。-> For reference: Security Council Resolution 600 and Security Council Resolution 425 -> The US has always blocked any 'peace process' in Middle East that included the recognition of a Palestinian right to self-determination。-> The cover up of arms sales to Iran by the US took place just after the fall of the Shah in 1979。-> USSR has apologised for its past use of violence whilst the US has not。-> The flow of profits from Gulf oil production has the US playing a 'mercenary role'。-> With regards to the Cold War: "Each superpower controlled its primary enemy - its own population - by terrifying it with crimes of the other。"-> One excuse for US military presence in foreign nations has been the War on Drugs - it provides a cover for intervention - oppressive legacy in the Golden Triangle （Myanmar， Thailand， Laos， Vietnam） and Golden Crescent （Iran， Afghanistan， Pakistan）。-> The CIA weakened the French Labor movement in the 1960s by authorising the Mafia re-establishing a heroin racket - the famous 'French Connection' that dominated the drug trade until the 1960s。-> The British Empire once imposed opium on the Chinese population （1839-42） through trade in colonising efforts that failed。-> The US block international efforts to seek peace if they are not orchestrating the peace process themselves - in an effort to hold all the diplomatic cards。-> In the US politics， the population are "special interest" （niche） and corporations are "national interest" （mass）。-> The US doctrinal system of propaganda consists of the media， journals of opinion， schools/universities and academia。-> The 1971 deregulation of currencies （Nixon dismantled Bretton Woods system） accelerated the globalisation of the economy - Reagan continued the deregulation of economic systems in the 1980s creating a Neoliberal world order - borrow and spend causing a growth in deficit （borrowing for infrastructure is a good investment but Reagan's enrichment of rich was bad）-> Private bureaucracy is liked in propaganda， protecting worker and consumer bureaucracy is disliked by propaganda - vindictive methods are often used to suppress wages in the name of growth。-> NAFTA deregulation benefited banks， investment firms， PR firms， corporate law firms whilst harming conditions for two-thirds of the workforce - property rights prioritised over workers' rights。-> Good social policy programmes: FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society。-> Doublespeak of Neocon war-mongering rhetoric: "nation-building" and "humanitarian"。-> Key question: Everyone wants peace， but on what terms？-> Adam Smith quote: “All for ourselves， and nothing for other people， seems， in every age of the world， to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind。”-> Hume's paradox: "the population submits to the rulers， even though force is always in the hands of the governed。"-> Can market discipline take place in a deregulated system？ When profits are privatised and costs are socialised， no， they cannot。-> The CIA's main purpose is to carry out secret and unusually illegal activities for the executive branch， which wants to keep these activities secret because it knows that the public won't accept them。-> "If the managers of the propaganda system were more intelligent， they'd allow more leeway to real dissidents and critics。 That would give the impression of broader debate and discussion and hence would have a legitimising function， but it still wouldn't make much of a dent， given the overwhelming weight of propaganda on the other side。"-> "The people of the country should be the prime beneficiary of the country's resources" is presented by the US as an extreme Communist vision。-> The US has a vested interest to see Russia return to Third World status。-> Evil quote from Henry Kissinger: "Don't give me any political science lectures。 We don't care about torture - we care about important things。"-> Authority may be justifiable but it is never self-justifying。-> Aristotle felt that if you have extremes of poor and rich， you can't talk seriously about democracy。-> Adam Smith naively believed that free markets would lead to equality of outcome。-> The government partially subsidise workers driven out of welfare system in order to decrease unionised labour and drive down wages - welfare capitalism。-> Corporate welfare is more abundant than social welfare - here's an example: https://www。businessinsider。com/its-t。。。-> Key quote: "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion， but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views。"-> A rogue CEO does not exist - a corporate executive is responsible to their stockholders - any egalitarian endeavour would lead to their dismissal。-> 80% of the population think that working people don't have enough say in what goes on， that the economic system is inherently unfair， and that the government basically isn't functioning， because it's working for the rich - yet every election， nothing changes， because the system is so entrenched by multiple systems， the illusion of democracy yields to it every time。-> Forced liberalisation is evident in US 'liberal democracy' regime change coup d'etats around the world。-> Leninism has nothing to do with the values of the left - even Trotsky predicted that Leninists would turn to dictatorial rule - it is likely that Lenin would have adopted State Capitalist bureaucratic rule if authoritarian bureaucratic Communism failed。-> The original sin of American society - the elimination of the native population。-> Disney is a good example of the kind of accommodation you're describing。 It exploits Third World labor in Haiti but domestically， it has very liberal policies on gay rights and healthcare。-> We can't change things unless we at least begin to understand them。 。。。more
Ann Mat
，
。。。more
Charlotte Kelly
，
This was a bit of a mess if I'm honest。 IMO you can't really make a coherent book out of a collection of interviews on subjects ranging from US foreign policy， capitalism， the situation in the West Bank and democracy， amongst many， MANY， other things。The other problem I had was that the interviews had clearly taken place in the early-mid 90s， buth had been retroactively edited when they were made into a book in 2011。 This has resulted in things like referring to George HW Bush as 'the first Pres This was a bit of a mess if I'm honest。 IMO you can't really make a coherent book out of a collection of interviews on subjects ranging from US foreign policy， capitalism， the situation in the West Bank and democracy， amongst many， MANY， other things。The other problem I had was that the interviews had clearly taken place in the early-mid 90s， buth had been retroactively edited when they were made into a book in 2011。 This has resulted in things like referring to George HW Bush as 'the first President Bush'。 Obviously this was done to clarify to the audience which President Bush was being referred to， but it meant that I kept forgetting that these were old interviews， with really outdated information。 This might just be a me thing， but it's potentially something you should know going in。I would definitely be interested in reading an actual book from Noam Chomsky; one with a coherent structure， and only relating to one or two topics。 。。。more
Eddie
，
Some top quality Noam on show here。 Unmatched recall。
Cornel Diaconu
，
O carte care deschide cu adevarat ochii si reveleaza lucruri pe care poate le banuiam （unele din ele）， si cel mai des nici nu as fi gandit ca ar putea fi （de ex。 implicarea scarboasa a americanilor in salvarea multor criminali de razboi nazisti pentru ca 。。 de ce nu ？ ce rost avea sa ii condamne la moarte， cand ii puteau folosi la ce se pricepeau cel mai bine。。。）
Light Bringer
，
“ When you look at that， it’s not very pretty， and if you extrapolate it into the future， it’s very ugly。”Does anybody care about anything at all？
Keely
，
At times slightly choppy （this should be expected from a collection of interviews） but overall I thought it was a great introductory overview of democratic and anti-capitalist critiques， largely targetting American foreign policy。
Andrei Iulian Luca
，
"Un mod inteligent de a păstra oamenii pasivi și docili presupune limitarea strictă a spectrului de opinii acceptabile， dar permiterea unei dezbateri pline de viață în aceste limite - și chiar încurajarea unor opinii mai critice。Asta le da oamenilor sentimentul că există libertate de gândire， în vreme ce， în tot acest timp， presupozițiile fundamentale ale sistemului sunt reconfirmate de limitele impuse discuției。"Devine destul de repetitivă pe alocuri punând accentul pe același nucleu de idei。Ca "Un mod inteligent de a păstra oamenii pasivi și docili presupune limitarea strictă a spectrului de opinii acceptabile， dar permiterea unei dezbateri pline de viață în aceste limite - și chiar încurajarea unor opinii mai critice。Asta le da oamenilor sentimentul că există libertate de gândire， în vreme ce， în tot acest timp， presupozițiile fundamentale ale sistemului sunt reconfirmate de limitele impuse discuției。"Devine destul de repetitivă pe alocuri punând accentul pe același nucleu de idei。Cartea reprezintă o acumulare de interviuri oferite intelectualului Noam Chomsky， subiectivismul simțindu-se din plin în fiecare capitol。Chomsky încearcă să atragă atenția asupra dictaturii impuse de marile corporații， ororile și urmările capitalismului asupra țărilor din Lumea a Treia și greșeala guvernului de a se pune la dispoziția marilor companii care caută profitul cât mai mare pe termen scurt astfel ignorând nevoile oamenilor și ale mediului înconjurător。 。。。more
Lungu Bogdan
，
Splendid， excellent commentary on American foreign politics and the myth of a superpower。
Darren Rajit
，
Good introduction to essentially Chomsky's world view， or put simply an anti-capitalist and grim look at the USA and it's policies and more broadly corporate transnational supremacy。 I don't agree with all of his analysis but there is some really good insight to be had here。 These are collections from the 80s - 90s and it's commentary on what were current events then， some of references went over my head， but the underlying themes still seem to run through today， eerily so。 Reading this all the Good introduction to essentially Chomsky's world view， or put simply an anti-capitalist and grim look at the USA and it's policies and more broadly corporate transnational supremacy。 I don't agree with all of his analysis but there is some really good insight to be had here。 These are collections from the 80s - 90s and it's commentary on what were current events then， some of references went over my head， but the underlying themes still seem to run through today， eerily so。 Reading this all the way through is good the first time， but I suspect this is one I'll go back too frequently， on specific topicsIt's structured as a series of interview transcripts organised by topic。 Eg: thoughts on postmodernism， identity politics， the roots of big corporate and their similarities with elements of fascism， US foreign policy， neoliberalism， and the brutal suppresion of democratic movements in the global south for fear of an "alternative example" etc。 Food for thought。 One thing : I wish some of the notes here had citations and references。 There's a line here where Chomsky sort of addresses it which basically amounts to the fact that you caan't win。 Cite too much and you're a pedant， cite too little and you're lying。 And that it's on us to do the hard yards， and do our own research。 Agree that to a point。 Maybe it's my intellectual laziness rearing it's head。 and he makes the point quite early that it's all "there"， all we need is to dig and make up our own minds。 Point taken。 So I shall。 Still though， help a boy out。 。。。more
Abhishek Yadav
，
US run the world but things are changing and leftists are boring。
Sheldon
，
I originally picked this book because I was interested in Chomsky and thought it might be a good introduction to his writing。 What I didn't realize is that this is basically a themed consolidation of interview transcripts。 At times this felt like a very long Reader's Digest interview （not a compliment， don't @ me）。 Thus， I'm not sure this was/is the best choice for an introduction to Chomsky if you're serious about digging into his writing and research。 I now know largely *what* he thinks， but n I originally picked this book because I was interested in Chomsky and thought it might be a good introduction to his writing。 What I didn't realize is that this is basically a themed consolidation of interview transcripts。 At times this felt like a very long Reader's Digest interview （not a compliment， don't @ me）。 Thus， I'm not sure this was/is the best choice for an introduction to Chomsky if you're serious about digging into his writing and research。 I now know largely *what* he thinks， but not necessarily *why* he thinks what he thinks。 Give me all the footnotes！My main takeaways from these interviews are that corporations are running the show， neocolonialism / free trade is destroying countries， and we're all a little bit screwed by capitalism。I was lost in his foreign affairs stuff just due to lack of familiarity with the content， but his stuff on economics and democracy was familiar enough that I could get behind a lot of what he was saying。 For example， I think he's very correct that we conflate democracy with capitalism。 I also found his discussion of the Pentagon's anti-market subsidizing of US aeronautics vs the American obsession with free markets quite fascinating。 However， sometimes he got a bit too conspiratorial for me （wealthy elites yada yada）。I understand that the interview format was designed to create a more "conversational" Chomsky， but the format just really didn't do it for me。 Either way， it piqued my interest enough to keep reading Chomsky。 Perhaps when I have the time I'll pick up one of his actual books， which I hear are criticized for having too many footnotes （yay！）。 。。。more
Emil Lupoae
，
O grozava trecere in revista a diferitelor evenimentele internaționale care au modelat lumea in care trăim。
Stefano Manganini
，
Mind blowing。
Mihai
，
Noam Chomsky povestește despre realitatea SUA， despre impactul politicilor pe care la are SUA cu impact global și despre tot felul de alte evenimente politice care au impact mondial。Cartea se citește relativ ușor， face multe referiri la evenimente。Susține vehement că democrația există doar pe hârtie， atât în SUA cât și în multe alții țări， iar pentru ca ea să fie și reală este nevoie de implicare publică。
Hanif Amin
，
Buku ini penuh analisa menarik dan fakta-fakta yang baru saya dengar。 Chomsky semacam melakukan "tur dunia" dan mengajak kita berjalan mengunjungi Amerika Latin， Eropa， Asia dan Afrika untuk melihat bagaimana Amerika Serikat menancapkan kekuasaaanya disana。Saya sudah menulis artikel mengenai buku ini。 Kalau tertarik， kamu bisa baca di : https://plisdiamdiamya。wordpress。com/。。。 Buku ini penuh analisa menarik dan fakta-fakta yang baru saya dengar。 Chomsky semacam melakukan "tur dunia" dan mengajak kita berjalan mengunjungi Amerika Latin， Eropa， Asia dan Afrika untuk melihat bagaimana Amerika Serikat menancapkan kekuasaaanya disana。Saya sudah menulis artikel mengenai buku ini。 Kalau tertarik， kamu bisa baca di : https://plisdiamdiamya。wordpress。com/。。。 。。。more
Shaz Tariq
，
The book is delivered in a set of interviews with Chomsky and makes for a much more readable experience。 The interview style of the book kind of ensures the reader knows exactly what Chomsky is talking about， even when some of the answers are long and stray away from the initial point。 There is valuable insight into many different topics， most notably US foreign policy。 Everything said is backed up with evidence。 It does not take an economics of political science grad to understand what Chomsky The book is delivered in a set of interviews with Chomsky and makes for a much more readable experience。 The interview style of the book kind of ensures the reader knows exactly what Chomsky is talking about， even when some of the answers are long and stray away from the initial point。 There is valuable insight into many different topics， most notably US foreign policy。 Everything said is backed up with evidence。 It does not take an economics of political science grad to understand what Chomsky is saying， everything is simply laid out for you to take in and form your own opinion on。 I think what Chomsky says about the way corporations and government interact are pretty accurate， as well as his views on how the United States favour dictatorships in other countries as long as it favours them。 There are no footnotes to provide sources for the points made， which is a shame， but it offers you the chance to go and do your own research。 Some of the book is just Chomsky's opinions on a variety of topics e。g。 the internet， which I appreciated being a general fan of his work and enjoy hearing his views on things。 Overall， the book is a great way to get introduced to thinking a little differently about how the world works and why big decisions get made e。g。 invading a country。 Most people would benefit by reading this book， even if you do not agree with what is said， it is always good to get a different opinion to the one echoed through mainstream media and government outlets。 。。。more
Carlos Bernal
，
Interesting but repetitive informationThis book does contain interesting information but the interview format makes that the same information is repeated over and over again。
s。t。s。
，
felt like it was for babies but also took me awhile to get through so maybe i am a baby anyway i like reading chomsky still， it’s always nice to feel like you aren’t the only insane person
Xin
，
“We all pay for the privilege of being manipulated”
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How the World Works
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How the World Works&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How the World Works&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0