Noam Chomsky needs no introduction. He has devoted his whole life to calling out the abuses of power and the excesses of U.S. empire. At 92, he still is actively engaged in the national conversation. We are of course honored that he took the time to talk to us and share his views.
The questions here are not philosophical or abstract. They focus on the realities of the international power struggle unfolding in real time. They directly address the role of the U.S. in the escalating tensions and its capacity to reduce them. We also probe the role of everyday citizens in affecting the relationship the U.S. now has and will have with the rest of the world community.
Here is what Noam Chomsky had to say.
Q. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has recently put the hands of the doomsday clock to 100 seconds before midnight. Midnight means all out war, probably nuclear holocaust. This is the closest it has every been. Do you agree with this dire assessment?
A. A fair assessment, unfortunately. The BAS analysts cited three major increasing threats: nuclear war, environmental destruction, and what some have called an "infodemic," the sharp decline in rational discourse -- the only hope for addressing the existential crises.
Every year that Trump was in office, the minute hand moved closer to midnight. Two year ago the analysts abandoned minutes and turned to seconds. Trump steadily escalated all three threats. It's worth reflecting on how close the world came to indescribable catastrophe last November. Another 4 years of Trump's race to the abyss might have had incalculable consequences. His worshippers of course don't see it this way, but, remarkably, the same is true of segments of the left. In fact, liberal litanies of his abuses also largely skirt his major crimes. Worth consideration when we recognize that he or some clone might soon regain the levers of power. Also worth consideration are the warnings by thousands of scientists that we are approaching irreversible tipping points in environmental destruction. We can read all about it in Aljazeera.
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