In times of uncertainty and contadictions, it is nice to refer to an older wiser person, one that is considered the world's greatest intellectual, Noam Chomsky. He wrote 80 books, one of which will enlighten anyone interested in Middle-Eastern affairs, and called THE MIDDLE EAST ILLUSION Before you read that definitive book, or after if that suits you best, here is a BOOK TV (CSpan2) interview with him. This is part one. I will post Part 2 if you enjoyed knowing the man and you post a comment below. ONE OF THE BOOK REVIEWS, 85% FAVORABLE
Chomsky is one of the great intellectuals of the twentieth-century Left, whose Peace in the Middle East? (1974), though tiring reading, was a brilliant indictment of American and Israeli policy toward the Arab world in general and the Palestinian people in particular. It is republished here, augmented by 90 pages of new writings about the Middle East. Chomsky said a number of interesting things about Israel in 1974. While those remain interesting historically, they say less about the current situation than he seems to believe they do. Turgid at times, the new chapters will thrill his admirers, however, for they bristle with the daring comparisons (e.g., repeatedly likening recent American-Israeli Mideast peace plans to apartheid), characteristic of Chomsky, that make even the like-minded Gore Vidal look like a staid centrist. The concluding discussion of 9/11 in the context of America's animosity toward Iraq is especially timely. While the book may date quickly now that the war is a reality, it adds a deep, booming voice to the antiwar chorus. John Green
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