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)

An epiphany

If you have ever wondered how those evil terrorists see the United States, or for that matter, if you have ever wondered just why do so many foreigners see things differently than we who were blessed to be born American, then this book will be a real eye-opener.

Suppose the proverbial "man from Mars" came to visit planet Earth. He doesn't understand anybody's language here; all he can do is see what we do. How can he tell the difference between acts of the terrorists who blow up buildings and buses, hurting and killing people, from the acts state-sponsored retaliation when the Israeli defense forces shoot missiles at homes from helicopter gunships, hurting and killing people?

The lesson of this book is to stop parroting the political catch-phrases our leaders and their ememies use to justify their behavior and look at the behavior itself. If you read this book with an open mind you will never be the same.

Love him or hate him

The difference between Naom and other so called political pundants is that he does the research to back up his claims. And not just any research, very very thorough research. A must read for any politically aware person.
Chomsky gives very detailed examples of state sponsored terrorism over decades and looks at the current world from an angle many of us do not bother to take the time to see.

Interesting material... but a tough listen.

While the material is fascinating and, in my opinion, very believable, I unfortunately have to fault the way the book was written and the person reading the book.

First, let me start with the reader... the book was read very fast and in what I perceived as an angry mono-tone (almost Dennis Leary like). To me, this greatly distracted from the material in the book. Being that this is an audio book, this needs to be considered before you buy it.

As for the content of the book, I can easily find most of it believable. Unfortunately, I do have to fault the way it is presented. The book comes out more like an ongoing rambling of world events. Making it, in my mind, difficult to follow. It does not provide enough historical background, factual references, and build-up to the events it describes.

A Chomsky Classic

Great book in audio or paper. Chomsky hits home on U.S. policy and its dangerous direction.

Hegemony of Survival

Great book. A must read for all!

Golden Rule

The path of our country does not comport with the golden rule and we have the power to change this. Hegemony or Survival is an outstanding work of well-researched facts, which exemplifies the courage to defy contemporary media brainwashing of the masses by exposing the insidious course of our beloved America by its ill-guided leadership from both sides of the isle. Mr. Chomsky has created an irrefutable historical account of a political agenda that is attempting to quench the perilous vice of avarice. An extremely treacherous mindset is rampaging with unbridled control within our own country. Unquestionably, a wakeup call from a solid intellectual source. To dissent is our duty as Americans. Get the book and decide for yourself.

Critical and Eye Opening

This book will influence your perspective about the how and why of military build up and the real underlying motivation and pitfalls of unchecked world power.

Great book, lousy reader

This is a dense analytical examination of US foreign policy, very much in the usual Chomsky tradition. The reader reads it entirely too fast, so it's often hard to follow the arguments. It sounds like he's rushing through it. It would have been great if Chomsky read it himself.

Flawed but important

I'm probably giving this book a higher rating than it deserves, but I think there are enough important facts in it that we can forgive some of the more paranoid rantings. (He sees 'vast, long standing conspiracy' where there is likely only crass insider profiteering). It does provide exceptional reference as to some of the more outrageous crimes zeroing in on the Reagan, Bush crowd. The style is irritatingly smug and pseudo-intellectual and is filled with Noam's usual assertion that the US has never had a leader who wasn't evil and most of the worlds problems are the fault of the US. Very annoying but please drag though it anyway.

Unclouded vision

Noam gets to the point, and stays on point. That point is that America has steadily been growing in power and influence to become a great and total global hegemony under the control of Corporate and military interests. It may take a few listens to let the gravity of this work sink in. This is not "lite" reading by any means. The reading is quick and the content deep, so don't try multi-tasking to this one.