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?
Listen to Failed States — Free Audiobook
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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
UN Manipulation
Redefining Rules
Illegal Warfare
Prioritizing Economic Interests
Ignoring Existential Threats
Punishing Independence
False Democracy Promotion
Destructive Middle East Interventions
Hindering Peace
Iraq War Disasters
The US as a Failed State
Severe Democracy Deficit
Fulfilling the Definition
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?
Failed States — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: The United States asserts special status allowing it to disregard international law when convenient.
Chapter 3: The United States follows its own rules in punishing enemies, whether they’re real or merely perceived threats.
Chapter 4: To the United States, economic interests outweigh efforts to combat climate change significantly.
Chapter 5: The United States waged a deliberate campaign to provoke Cuba for refusing to submit to its will.
Chapter 6: US economic ambitions often overshadow its proclaimed policy goal of fostering democracy abroad.
Chapter 7: The United States seeks Middle East peace, but only when it also stands to benefit.
Chapter 8: The US-led invasion of Iraq was legally and morally questionable, and ultimately a complete failure.
Chapter 9: The United States has a democracy deficit and therefore can be considered a failed state.
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
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