The Myth of American Idealism

How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World

By: Noam Chomsky, Nathan J. Robinson

Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins

“For anyone wanting to find out more about the world we live in . . . there is one simple answer: read Noam Chomsky.”—The New Statesman

From one of the world’s most prominent thinkers comes an urgent warning of the threat that U.S. power poses to humanity’s future as well as a sharp indictment of both American foreign policy and the national myths that support it.

The Myth of American Idealism offers a timely and comprehensive introduction to the incisive critiques of U.S. power that have made Noam Chomsky a “global phenomenon,” one of the most widely known public intellectuals of all time. Surveying the history of U.S. military and economic activity around the world, Chomsky and his co-author Nathan J. Robinson vividly trace the way the American pursuit of global domination has wrought havoc in country after country–without, ironically, making Americans any safer. And they explore how dominant elites in the United States have pushed self-serving myths about this country’s commitment to “spreading democracy,” while pursuing a reckless foreign policy that served the interest of few and endangered all too many.

Chomsky and Robinson range across the globe, offering penetrating accounts of Washington’s relationship with the Global South, its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan–all justified with noble stories about humanitarian missions and the benevolent intentions of American policy makers. The same kinds of myths that have led to repeated disastrous wars, they argue, are now driving us closer to wars with Russia and China that imperil humanity’s future. Examining nuclear proliferation and climate change, they show how U.S. policies are continuing to exacerbate global threats.

For well over half a century, Noam Chomsky has committed himself to exposing governing ideologies and criticizing his country’s unchecked use of military power. At once thorough and devastating, urgent and provocative, The Myth of American Idealism offers a highly enjoyable entry to the conclusions he has come to after a lifetime of thought and activism.

©2024 Noam Chomsky and Nathan J. Robinson (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A potent critique of the ideology behind America’s foreign interventions and its status as a global power, and a treatise on how the nation’s hubristic pursuit of 'spreading democracy' threatens not only the delicate balance of global peace, but the already-declining health of our planet. Who it’s for: Chomskyites; policy wonks and casual critics of American recklessness alike.”—The Millions

“Blistering . . . The authors’ top-versus-bottom analysis becomes strikingly perceptive in a final chapter analyzing how today a global elite benefits from world-killing fossil fuels. This offers rich food for thought.”—Publishers Weekly

“[This book] couldn’t be more timely. An outspoken critic of American empire for most of his life, here Chomsky zeroes in on the myths underlying that imperial expansion, namely the idea that the spread of democracy (no matter the methods) is an unalloyed good. The problem, of course, is that powerful men in small rooms who think themselves both wise and just tend to do the most damage.”—Literary Hub

Absolutely spot on except . . .

This book is an awesome collection of some of our most dastardly deeds. The only thing In wish is he would mix in a couple of good things and give credit where credit is due. If any?? But I respectfully disagree with the opening of Chapter 5 which asserts The United States of America is OK with Israel doing ethnic cleansing because that’s exactly what we did to the Native Americans. That was quite some time ago and I think that we have matured that would be like me saying we were pretty sympathetic to a apartheid in South Africa because after all we had slaves well we have grown since then give me a break