Who Rules the World?

Written by Noam Chomsky

Narrated by Brian Jones

A New York Times Bestseller

The world’s leading intellectual offers a probing examination of the waning American Century, the nature of U.S. policies post-9/11, and the perils of valuing power above democracy and human rights

In an incisive, thorough analysis of the current international situation, Noam Chomsky argues that the United States, through its military-first policies and its unstinting devotion to maintaining a world-spanning empire, is both risking catastrophe and wrecking the global commons. Drawing on a wide range of examples, from the expanding drone assassination program to the threat of nuclear warfare, as well as the flashpoints of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine, he offers unexpected and nuanced insights into the workings of imperial power on our increasingly chaotic planet.

In the process, Chomsky provides a brilliant anatomy of just how U.S. elites have grown ever more insulated from any democratic constraints on their power. While the broader population is lulled into apathy—diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable—the corporations and the rich have increasingly been allowed to do as they please.

Fierce, unsparing, and meticulously documented, Who Rules the World? delivers the indispensable understanding of the central conflicts and dangers of our time that we have come to expect from Chomsky.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: May 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781427261762

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky es profesor emérito del Departamento de Lingüística y Filosofía del MIT, activista político y uno de los más influyentes críticos de la política exterior americana. Sus opiniones sobre el tema y su lúcida visión de los acontecimientos mundiales son discutidas ampliamente por la comunidad internacional. Es autor de numerosas obras políticas, entre ellas los best sellers Hegemonía o supervivencia (2004), Estados fallidos (2007) y ¿Quién domina el mundo? (2016).

Reviews for Who Rules the World?

[Laura Cepraga · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

it refers to contemporary politics and opened my mind about global conflicts and reading the news between the lines; thanks for sharing knowledge

[Radwa Ali · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Boring and incoherent I didn’t like this one .. not what I expected and not what the title denotes

[Artour Detour · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The good thing about this audiobook, is that the reading is fluent and the voice is pleasing.
As for the content, it is merely a collection of half truths, carefully filtered and altered in a childish way, to support a certain view which is more or claiming that the United States and it’s allies are the sources of evil of this universe, while Iran and the Ayatollahs are the righteous ones. Really an absurd.

[sheamuspatt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been many years since Chomsky wrote "Manufacturing Consent", but in many ways little has changed. The title is somewhat rhetorical - America rules the world, and Chomsky is an expert in how it's done. That's part of the reason, no doubt, you rarely see him in the media, as he's made it his role to expose all of their campaigns to maintain their power over much of the world. That includes, of course, creating the facade that they are "making the world safer" or "spreading democracy" in doing so, as it's generally the opposite.

[plappen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here is the latest book of political analysis by "America's most useful citizen" (so says the Boston Globe). Chomsky is a linguistics professor emeritus at MIT, and has been writing about political issues for many years.

The Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris has been called the most threatening assault on journalism and free expression in living memory. Evidently, the April 1999 NATO rocket destruction of Serbian state TV headquarters doesn't count. There were no calls for inquiries into western Christian culture in its aftermath.

Why wasn't the US military budget cut after the collapse of the Soviet Union? America must maintain its "defense industrial base" because of the growing "technological sophistication" of Third World countries. America invaded Panama, killed thousands of people, and installed a client regime with no Soviet threat. The pretexts given were nonsense, the invasion was a huge violation of international law and the media neglected to mention the US veto of a unanimous Security Council resolution condemning crimes by US troops during the invasion.

Elites and the political class consider Iran to be the primary threat to world peace. The average person does not agree. Polls in Europe show that Israel is the biggest threat to peace. In Egypt, only ten percent of the people regard Iran as a threat. Only a quarter of Americans regard Iran as an important concern. There is strong opposition to military engagement in an Israel-Iran war. A good step toward peace in that part of the world would to be declare it a nuclear weapons-free zone. America will never let that happen.

This book is a huge eye-opener. It has revelations on nearly every page, revelations that will never be mentioned by the US political class or US media. It deserves six stars, and is extremely recommended.