9-11 - Noam Chomsky

For Chomsky, the atrocities of 9-11 are something quite new in world affairs, marking the first time since 1812 that the U.S. mainland was attacked (an important distinction from Pearl Harbor, which was U.S. territory, but effectively a colony). As Chomsky writes, in the past half century particularly, [the U.S.] resorted to force throughout much of the world. For the first time, the guns have been directed the other way. That is a dramatic change. Chomsky believes that the attacks have been harmful in ways that extend far beyond the initial death toll and ongoing national emergency. For example, he believes they represent a devastating blow to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Most importantly and provocatively, Chomsky argues that in the world after 9-11, it is no longer possible to hold our enemies to one standard, ourselves to another.