Hegemony or Survival

America's Quest for Global Dominance

By: Noam Chomsky

Narrated by: Brian Jones, Noam Chomsky

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

For more than half a century, the United States has been pursuing a grand imperial strategy with the aim of staking out the globe. Our leaders have shown themselves willing, as in the Cuban missile crisis, to follow the dream of dominance no matter how high the risks. Now the Bush administration is intensifying this process, driving us toward the final frontiers of imperial control, toward a choice between the prerogatives of power and a livable Earth. Noam Chomsky investigates how we came to this moment, what kind of peril we find ourselves in and why our rulers are willing to jeopardize the future of our species.

Lucid, rigorous and thoroughly documented, Hegemony or Survival is Chomsky's most urgent and sweeping work in years. Certain to spark widespread debate, it is a definitive statement from one of the world's most influential political thinkers.

©2003 Aviva Chomsky, Diane Chomsky, Harry Chomsky (P)2003 Audio Renaissance

Critic reviews

"Judged in terms of the power, range, novelty, and influence of his thought, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive." (The New York Times)
"In this highly readable...critique of American foreign policy from the late 1950s to the present...Chomsky brings together many themes he has mined in the past, making this cogent and provocative book an important addition to an ongoing public discussion about U.S. policy." (Publishers Weekly)

A great book, poorly read

What this audiobook did for me was to convince me to buy and read the printed version of "Hegemony or Survival". As I was listening to the audiobook, I could tell that Noam Chomsky was attempting to provide me with information about, and perspectives on, the state of our nation and the world--information and perspectives that are unavailable elsewhere. At the same time, however, the reader seemed to be doing his best--by reading in a rapid monotone--to make Chomsky's information both boring and difficult to understand. Chomsky quotes from many sources, but I had difficulty identifying the boundaries between Chomsky's prose and the quoted material, because the reader plowed on through everything, main text and quoted material, without variation of tone or speed. I look forward to being able to make these distinctions when I read the printed book.

The Big Picture

Noam Chompsy presents an overview of the U.S. political agenda I suspected but couldn't formulate myself. He offers a multitude of facts reinforcing his theories. Listening, I felt progessively outraged at the abuse of power and manipulation to justify the means to an end. We think we live in a democratic society but it's an illusion. How can we vote wisely when we are continually fed lies and half truths?

My only criticism is not with the book, but the reading. It was so fast I had trouble absorbing all the information coming at me. This book I listened to a little at a time.

Topic and writing

Excellent, However the Narration is a bit to fast and saying the words and not really comprehending the material. This results in the occasional awkward cadence of speech making retention of material difficult

Eye Opener

Outstanding book. Should be mandatory reading. If 50% of his logic and conclusions are true, every citizen needs to reflect closely on our nationalism and its consequences for ourselves and others. Pro patria.

A hard pill to swallow for most Americans, but ...

I have read a fair amount of modern history, and was only vaguely aware (like most Americans) of the many of Chomsky's facts and assertions. Some were so startling that I felt I needed to verify. After researching four and finding them unassailable, I stopped trying to fault the facts. The indictment of US foreign policy that Chomsky devolves from these facts is at such variance with our view of ourselves that one is inclined to look for an explanation. If the facts are not false, then perhaps the interpretation is the problem, so I examined the logic by re-reading the book with careful attention to the relationship between facts and conclusion. There are weaknesses in some place where an argument depends on ?respected commentator? or some other unsupported assertion. However, even if one throws out all of the marginal cases, he is still left with a great deal to be dealt with--a paradigm changer for the honest and open minded, and something to be reviled and suppressed for those determined to believe that Americans are the good guys who go around the world altruistically stamping out evil.

Chomsky stops short of a monolithic conspiracy theory, but the pattern of behavior of the US over the last 60 years that is painted by this book is remarkably consistent and disturbing.

I love Noam Chomsky...

...but!
I have read other of Chomsky's books and seen a documentary of his and I really like his work!!! That being said I think the book was read too fast and I think the content was a bit scattered. Maybe the book is easier to follow when you see everything in print. I don't want to discourage anyone from learning more about this very important and interesting material.

Use an alias

Absolutley recommend. Not because I accept 100% of what he says, we all have the responsibility to make our own conclusions. But he gives great perspective on the application of power and the tradeoffs we all make. A challenge to apply critical thinking.

Use an alias? If the justice dept is checking library records, they might be interested in who listens to this....

Needs 2 listens

Everyone should listen to this book- twice. There is too much information to digest in one reading. Unfortunately, however, Chomsky often ends up preaching to the converted as his research shows a side of America that die hard 'patriots' label as 'anti-American.' Any open minded person however will likely find his research and ideas eye-opening. Some of his books are hard to understand for the first-time Chomsky reader but this one seems to have been written with especially those in mind.

Answers the question -

To anyone who has asked the question "Why do they hate us?", look no further than "Hegemony or Survival".

Most Americans will never know the crimes committed in their name.

Loved it

What made the experience of listening to Hegemony or Survival the most enjoyable?

Noam Chomsky at his best. An essential work for anyone who is interested in how things really work.