What will I learn about: why the United States' actual foreign policy contradicts its self-proclaimed role as a global protector, often resulting in increased violence and instability worldwide?

Discover why the United States' actual foreign policy contradicts its self-proclaimed role as a global protector, often resulting in increased violence and instability worldwide.

What will I learn about: Learn how the United States leverages its power within the UN Security Council to bypass international law and manipulate critical legal definitions, such as the meaning of torture?

Learn how the United States leverages its power within the UN Security Council to bypass international law and manipulate critical legal definitions, such as the meaning of torture.

What will I learn about: the dangerous double standard of anticipatory self-defense, a military stance that ignores UN charters and could theoretically justify preemptive strikes against America itself?

Understand the dangerous double standard of anticipatory self-defense, a military stance that ignores UN charters and could theoretically justify preemptive strikes against America itself.

What will I learn about: why American leadership consistently prioritizes protecting its own economic dominance over taking critical action against existential global threats like climate change and nuclear proliferation?

Find out why American leadership consistently prioritizes protecting its own economic dominance over taking critical action against existential global threats like climate change and nuclear proliferation.

What will I learn about: Explore how the United States engages in deliberate campaigns of economic and covert warfare, such as the decades-long embargo against Cuba, to punish nations that refuse to submit to its will?

Explore how the United States engages in deliberate campaigns of economic and covert warfare, such as the decades-long embargo against Cuba, to punish nations that refuse to submit to its will.

Failed States

The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

Noam Chomsky

★ 3.9 / 5(194 ratings)

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Politics

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that the same criteria the U.S. uses to define 'failed states' abroad could actually be applied to its own actions both at home and on the world stage?
💡Have you ever wondered why there is such a massive disconnect between the U.S. government's rhetoric about promoting democracy and the reality of its historical interventions?
💡Are you curious about how the pursuit of global dominance has led the world's most powerful nation to repeatedly bypass the very international laws it helped create?

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Key Takeaways from Failed States

✓Discover why the United States' actual foreign policy contradicts its self-proclaimed role as a global protector, often resulting in increased violence and instability worldwide.
✓Learn how the United States leverages its power within the UN Security Council to bypass international law and manipulate critical legal definitions, such as the meaning of torture.
✓Understand the dangerous double standard of anticipatory self-defense, a military stance that ignores UN charters and could theoretically justify preemptive strikes against America itself.
✓Find out why American leadership consistently prioritizes protecting its own economic dominance over taking critical action against existential global threats like climate change and nuclear proliferation.
✓Explore how the United States engages in deliberate campaigns of economic and covert warfare, such as the decades-long embargo against Cuba, to punish nations that refuse to submit to its will.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Failed States

Mind Map

Failed States

Defying International Law+

Prioritizing Economic Interests+

Destructive Middle East Interventions+

The US as a Failed State+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

According to the text, how did the US Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel redefine 'torture' compared to the Geneva Convention?

A. It argued that torture only applies to psychological manipulation and not physical pain.
B. It defined torture as only those acts resulting in pain analogous to organ failure or death.
C. It classified torture strictly as the use of unauthorized chemical or biological agents.
D. It stated that torture can only be committed by non-state actors and terrorist organizations.

Question 2 of 8

What is the primary logical flaw the author points out regarding the Bush administration's use of 'anticipatory self-defense' to justify the war in Afghanistan?

A. It violates the economic sanctions previously established by the UN Security Council.
B. It requires a formal declaration of war by the US Congress, which was never obtained.
C. By this logic, other nations and groups would have the right to preemptively attack the United States.
D. It relies on outdated Cold War treaties that do not apply to modern terrorist organizations.

Question 3 of 8

Why did the United States refuse to take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the 2005 G8 summit?

A. The US government believed that protecting its global economic interests was more important than fighting climate change.
B. The US was protesting the exclusion of developing nations from the summit's environmental agreements.
C. The US Congress had recently passed domestic legislation that superseded international climate agreements.
D. The Bush administration argued that nuclear proliferation was a more urgent priority than environmental policy.

Question 4 of 8

What does the resource allocation of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2004 reveal about US foreign policy priorities?

A. The US was primarily focused on dismantling the financial networks of Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda.
B. The US dedicated vastly more resources to investigating Cuban financial transactions than tracking actual terrorist funding.
C. The US completely defunded counter-terrorism initiatives in Latin America to focus on the Middle East.
D. The US prioritized humanitarian aid shipments to Cuba over military spending in the Middle East.

Question 5 of 8

How did the US response to the opening of an oil pipeline in Azerbaijan illustrate a contradiction in its foreign policy?

A. The US praised Azerbaijan for building a democratic society, despite Azerbaijani police violently cracking down on pro-democracy demonstrators.
B. The US sanctioned Azerbaijan for human rights abuses, even though the pipeline was crucial for American energy independence.
C. The US funded the pipeline through the National Endowment for Democracy while secretly supporting a communist coup.
D. The US demanded the pipeline be rerouted through Iran, directly contradicting its own economic embargoes.

Question 6 of 8

According to the text, why did the United States wait until after Yasser Arafat's death in 2004 to strongly push for democratic elections in Palestine?

A. The UN Security Council had banned elections in the region while Arafat was in power.
B. The US feared that if Arafat were democratically elected, his politics—which opposed US interests—would gain legitimacy.
C. Arafat had threatened to launch a nuclear strike if the US interfered in Palestinian domestic politics.
D. The US was bound by the Geneva Accord to withhold electoral support until a two-state solution was finalized.

Question 7 of 8

Which action during the 2004 US attack on Fallujah does the text cite as a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions?

A. The use of preemptive nuclear weapons against civilian targets.
B. The destruction of Iraq's primary oil pipelines to cripple the local economy.
C. The bombing of a central health center, killing patients and staff members.
D. The forced conscription of male residents between 15 and 65 into the US military.

Question 8 of 8

Based on the expanded definition used by the Bush administration, why does the author argue that the United States can be considered a 'failed state'?

A. It has completely abandoned its responsibility to provide basic public services like healthcare and education.
B. It suffers from a 'democracy deficit' where government actions and public policies do not reflect the actual will of the people.
C. It relies entirely on the United Nations to manage its domestic economic crises and foreign diplomacy.
D. It has lost control of its borders and can no longer protect its citizens from foreign military invasions.

Failed States — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — The United States claims a unique status that lets it disregard international law.
32 — The United States makes its own rules for punishing enemies, real or perceived.
43 — For the United States, economic interests outweigh the fight against climate change.
54 — The United States deliberately antagonized Cuba for refusing to bend to its will.
65 — US economic interests often eclipse its stated goal of promoting democracy abroad.
76 — The United States seeks peace in the Middle East, but only when it benefits as well.
87 — The US-led invasion of Iraq was legally and morally questionable – and a failure.
98 — The United States has a democracy deficit, making it possible to call it a failed state.
109 — Final summary

Failed States Summary & Overview

In Failed States, author Noam Chomsky details the ways in which the United States has used its power to relentlessly pursue its own geopolitical and economic interests. The book cites examples from throughout history to demonstrate why the United States’ stated goal of promoting democracy is inconsistent with its own actions, at home and abroad.

Who Should Listen to Failed States?

Anyone critical of US foreign policy
Anyone interested in international politics
Anyone interested in history

About the Author: Noam Chomsky

A prominent cultural figure and political thinker, Noam Chomsky is a world-renowned American linguist who is also Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has authored over 100 books, and was voted the “world’s top public intellectual” in a 2005 poll.

Failed States

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Failed States — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Failed States

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Failed States — Full Chapter Overview

Failed States Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Failed States?

About the Author: Noam Chomsky

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