Noam Chomsky and other foreign policy writers

[BayCityProgressive]

I have not yet picked up the new Noam Chomksy book "Failed States" but I do plan on it. Although I do like reading his books and the books of other scholars in regards to foreign policy I don't like to claim that Chomsky is some great hero and his writings are infallible. Am I alone in thinking that many of these foreign policy analysts are a little extreme and go out trying to prove a point, and so disregard all the facts that don't fit their belief? I think Chomsky is on to something when he talks about how corporatism has a huge influence on American policy but I do think the US has done good things in foreign policy as well. Just as I wouldn't Condemn Israel as many on the Left do or Cuba as many on the Right do. Any others here interested in foreign policy and writers such as Alan Dershowitz, Noam Chomsky, and others but don't always agree with everything in their books?

[bryant69]

1. I don't always agree with Chomsky either

Some of what he says is interesting, and of course he's right on that the American people are blindly ignorent of foreign policy. But I do think he chooses his examples carefully at time.

I don't know as much about Dershowitz - haven't read as much - and most of what I've read I've agreed with.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[iconoclastNYC]

2. ahh yes Isreal = Cuba

Nice observation.

:wtf:

[BayCityProgressive]

4. what?

did you even read my post? I didn't say Israel and Cuba were the same anywhere in there?

[iconoclastNYC]

6. You are implying that

Right-wing criticism of Cuba and Left-wing criticism of Isreal are equally invalid. Which is a joke.

[BayCityProgressive]

8. That is your opinion

I happen to think they are similar.

[iconoclastNYC]

9. Yeah so are apples and oranges.

[BayCityProgressive]

10. hey

they are both fruits!

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

3. Absolutely. And it is a mark of maturity...

...that you expose yourself to different writers without feeling the need to agree with everything they say. All too often people stop reading someone they formerly respected just because they happen to come down on the other side of some pet issue, which, by contrast, is indicative of intellectual immaturity.

[Terran1212]

5. You don't have to 100% agree to think the man is a genius

If every genius agreed with me, I must be some kind of god or something.

[BayCityProgressive]

7. lol exactly

I just felt like posting it because I was having a conversation with two of my friends. One is very pro-Israel as am I, and so he doesn't like reading Chomsky because he thinks he is unfair to Israel. I agreed that he did seem unfair to me on that one issue but that I wasn't going to judge the guy based on one view that he has. My other friend is far left and doesn't like him because he said in a book that Cuba is a state capitalist dictatorship, or something to that effect. I don't totally agree with that view either, but once again...no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.