The Culture of Terrorism

Chomsky, Noam
Publisher:  Black Rose Books, Montreal, Canada
Year Published:  1988  
Pages:  270pp   ISBN:  0-921689-28-4
Library of Congress Number:  E876.C45 1988   Dewey:  327.73
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX6240

Chomsky argues that the United States elites are dedicated to the rule of force, and that their commitment to violence and lawlessness has to be masked by an ideological system which attempts to control and limit the domestic damage done when the mask occasionally slips.

Abstract:  The Culture of Terrorism is based on the thesis that "the United States elites are dedicated to the rule of force, and that their commitment to violence and lawlessness has to be masked by an ideological system which attempts to control and limit the domestic damage done when the mask occasionally slips." The book focuses on the dedication of the United States to the rule of force, taking the Nicaragua-Iran scandals of 1986 as a major example from which important lessons should be learned. It is divided into three parts, "The Scandals of 1986," "Further Successes of the Reagan Administration," and "The Current Agenda," with the first part covering more than half of the book. The Culture of Terrorism is a thorough look into the Iran-Contra scandals, their impact and their significance for the world today.

[Abstract by Nabeeha Chaudhary]



Table of Contents

Preface
Notes

Introduction
Notes

Part 1 The Scandals of 1986

The Challenge
Notes

The Cultural-Historical Context
Notes

The Problems of Clandestine terrorism
Notes

The Limits of Scandal
Notes

The Culture of Terrorism
Notes

Damage Control
Notes

The Perils of Diplomacy
Notes

The Reality That Must Be Effaced: Iran and Nicaragua
Notes

Part 11 Further Successes of the Reagan Administration

Accelerating the Race Towards Destruction
Notes

Controlling "Enemy Territory"

Freedom of Expression in the Free World
Notes

Part 111 The Current Agenda

The Threat of a Good Example
Notes

The Fledgling Democracies
Notes
Restoring Regional Standards
Notes

Standards for Ourselves
Notes

Prospects
Notes

Index

Subject Headings