Noam Chomsky Interview

24.03.2010

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Noam Chomsky: Professor of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),Cambridge/USA and political Activist

Noam Chomsky Supports Kontext TV!

"Contemporary society faces problems of fateful significance. There are many complexities and intricate factors, often poorly understood. If there is to be any hope for serious approaches to tasks reaching literally as far as decent survival of the species, it is crucial that democratic processes function in a constructive way. A prerequisite is that citizens have readily available to them accurate information, a rich variety of perspectives, and encouragement to think clearly and creatively. In brief, they need independent media, free from the constraints imposed by concentrations of power and rigid ideological frameworks, both stimulating activist organizations and drawing from their experiences and ideas."

(Noam Chomsky, Greeting for Kontext TV)

War in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Collapse of the Climate Talks: Where is the Change Obama Promised?

24.03.2010

President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 – while at the same time escalating the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some days after his Nobel Prize speech in Stockholm he went to Copenhagen and had nothing to offer to the climate talks as a reduction of four per cent of greenhouse gas emissions until 2020 – while scientists say 40 percent are needed. Many analysts say that this was the collapse of the climate talks. There were many hopes before Obama was elected, when he was elected. Hopes for change. Where is this „change“ that was promised. And why is he falling short of the expectations?

USA and Israel are Threatening Iran, Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zones in Africa and the Middle East Neglected by U.S. and Europe

24.03.2010

The Bush administration, the Obama administration and European countries have pressured Iran for some time and call for furthers sanctions due to Irans uranium enrichment program. They consider Iran as a major threat to stability. On the other hand India, Pakistan and Israel are not pressured although they already possess nuclear weapons and haven't signed the Non Proliferation Treaty like Iran did. Could you comment on the foreign policy strategy of the United States and Europe concerning Iran?

USA - China: Powershift toward Transnationals and Banks

24.03.2010

In military terms, the US are still the only superpower and can act as you have described. But economically there was a major break-down in 2008 and they had to spend trillions to bail-out Wall Street and even without money from China …

Growing Independence of Latin American States, U.S. Re-Militarizes

24.03.2010

And the increasing let's say independence of some countries of Latin America from the U.S.. Is that a power shift in your view?

NATO Expansion in Violation of Pledges, Europe and Germany Should Advocate for Peaceful Solutions

24.03.2010

What role could a European Union and Germany play in international relations. Germany and the European Union are often considered more moderate when it comes to foreign affairs. What is your assessment when it comes to the role of the European Union and Germany?

About Howard Zinn and the Importance of an "Adversarial Culture"

24.03.2010

Your friend, dissident and activist Howard Zinn who recently died wrote in his famous book “A People's History of the United States”: “Yes, we have in this country, dominated by corporate wealth and military power and two antiquated political parties, what a fearful conservative characterized as a 'permanent adversarial culture' challenging the present, demanding a new future.” I guess not a lot of people here in Europe but probably also in the U.S. know much about this “permanent adversarial culture”, this world of dissidents and activists. How would you describe the importance of progressive social and political movements in the States especially today?

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