Noam Chomsky: "We are seeing a decline in American power"

(The Washington Times) Noam Chomsky is one of America’s most celebrated and controversial academics. In addition to dramatically transforming the fields of modern linguistics and philosophy, he has authored nearly one hundred books, including such political works as Manufacturing Consent, 9/11, Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, and his latest, On Western Terrorism.

Chomsky has been cited more times than Plato or the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. In opinion polls, he is often ranked as one of the world’s leading public intellectuals and routinely fills lecture halls wherever he speaks, despite his being largely absent from mainstream media. At age 84, Chomsky, a professor of linguistics and philosophy at MIT, remains committed to exposing and expounding upon the ills that plague the United States and the international community. Recently, Professor Chomsky took time from his busy schedule to speak with The Washington Times Communities and offer his thoughts on plights both foreign and domestic.

Professor Chomsky began the conversation on the topic of Syria; specifically, the diplomatic efforts that were initiated by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Chomsky made it clear that while he is no fan of Putin, “…not my favorite person by a long shot…”, he believed that Putin’s op-ed in the New York Times was “…a rational, sensible comment…”, and that Putin’s efforts to engage the Syrian crisis diplomatically could not have come at a better time for Obama:

“…He offered President Obama a kind of a lifeline; it’s a Godsend for him. He was facing possible defeat in a Congressional vote which would have been a very harsh blow to not only his policy, but to his Presidency generally. If he couldn’t get a vote of confidence on this issue it would have been very hard to push other things, and this offered a way out. I think it was a sensible proposal that was accepted, quickly recognizing the advantages of the United States of accepting them, but where will it lead? That’s very hard to say.”

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