Afrasianet - The book "The Myth of American Idealism: How US Foreign Policy Threatens the World" is an excellent summary—and indictment—of how the United States shapes the world.

"The Myth of American Idealism: How US Foreign Policy Threatens the World" by Noam Chomsky is an excellent introduction to understanding US foreign policy and Chomsky's thought.

The editor of the British magazine "New Statesman" says: If I were asked whether a student would learn more about US foreign policy by reading this book or by reading a collection of articles written by current and sometimes former US officials in magazines like "Foreign Affairs" or "The Atlantic," Chomsky and Robinson would win by a landslide. Perhaps the importance of this book for Chomsky lies in the fact that the American magazine "The Nation" considers him "the world's most famous critic of the American empire. No living intellectual can match him.

Even Dr. John Mearsheimer, the international relations theorist known for his criticism of American foreign relations, is unmatched." A quick Google search reveals that Chomsky's name appears more often in English-language texts than "Mearsheimer."

"The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Threatens the World" is an excellent summary—and simultaneously indictment—of how the United States has shaped the world since becoming a global superpower after World War II.

This book was the last published book by the late American thinker Noam Chomsky, co-authored with Nathan J. Robinson, editor of the left-wing magazine "Current Affairs."

As co-author Nathan J. Robinson writes in the introduction, "The Myth of American Idealism" was written "To extract insights from Chomsky's entire body of work into a single volume that can expose people to his main criticisms of American foreign policy," and he accomplishes this task perfectly. Robinson recounts that this book is a project he has been working on for "nine years" with Chomsky, conducting two interviews that resulted in this book project.

Robinson expresses his pleasure at co-authoring this book with Chomsky, saying: “Working on The Myth of American Idealism with Professor Chomsky was one of the highlights of my life as a writer. For a year, we exchanged letters about drafts, striving to produce a text that powerfully expressed his views and restated his arguments with up-to-date evidence.

Unfortunately, toward the end of the process, Professor Chomsky suffered a severe stroke, and I had to complete the editing of the manuscript on my own.

This was a heavy burden, as I wanted to ensure that the final book did justice to Professor Chomsky’s ideas.” Fortunately, I was working with Chomsky's longtime editor, Sarah Berchtl of Penguin Random House, and together we were able to ensure that the final book was meticulously crafted, well-sourced, and clear. Robinson explains, "The book summarizes some of the core ideas about U.S. power that Chomsky has advanced for more than 50 years.

It updates these ideas for 2024 and harshly condemns U.S. foreign policy, arguing that unless we learn to view our government's actions as others around the world view us, the United States will remain a serious threat to peace and stability worldwide."

"The Myth of American Idealism" seeks to debunk what they consider the eponymous myth: that the United States is committed to promoting democracy and human rights.

The authors argue that this self-evident truth is at odds with the realities of U.S. foreign policy. Instead, they assert that "the United States has typically acted with almost total disregard for moral principles." and the rule of law, except to the extent that it adheres to principles and laws that serve the interests of American elites."

Confronting a prevailing doctrine that attributes this harm to misguided errors, they question the validity and existence of this alleged benevolence by recounting the tangible harm the United States has inflicted on much of the world since assuming de facto global hegemony after World War II. Chomsky and Robinson write: "No ruling power has ever thought of itself as evil.

They believe they are good, and their opponents are evil. We must ensure that we do not fall into the trap of believing we are right simply because we are told to be right."

"The Myth of American Idealism" examines American foreign policy, as Robinson asserts, calling for us to stop "viewing our country's actions abroad as purely moral, because we are also responsible for heinous acts of violence."

Robinson notes that "when we talk about the actions of 'the United States,' we are not equally accusing all of America." Most of the country's population is unaware of what their government is doing abroad, and they would be horrified if they knew. We are talking about actions committed by those in power.

The book, "Understanding the System of Power," briefly examines the domestic origins of US foreign policy and the ways in which elite opinion makers contribute to the public's understanding of American adventurism, either by distorting it or, more commonly, by not discussing it at all.

As is the case throughout much of the book, Chomsky and Robinson argue that "the public's role in decision-making is limited" and that "foreign policy is designed and implemented by small groups whose power derives from domestic sources."

In their view, US foreign policy is mostly a service to corporate interests—the military-industrial complex, energy corporations, "big business, banks, investment firms... and the politically oriented intellectuals who do the bidding of those who own and run them." The private empires that govern most aspects of our lives.

"The Myth of American Idealism" presents a terrifying chronology of America's global intervention: "Our intervention in Greece in 1947 to suppress a popular communist uprising; our sabotage of the Italian elections in 1948; our suppression of democratic and leftist groups in postwar Japan and South Korea; our participation in the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran in 1953, the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954, and the assassination of Patrice Lumumba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1961; our numerous failed attempts to kill or overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba; our participation in the extermination of Indonesian communists and their comrades; our destruction of North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos; our involvement in the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973; And our assistance to Guatemala while its government was prosecuting genocidaires; and so on, right up to the present day. We note that "The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Threatens the World" is Chomsky's most recent and final book, which he completed before his death on June 18, 2024.