Chomsky Flashcards
What did Israeli bombing of the Osirak Reactor in 1981 cause in the military consiousness of Iraq and how was sucha bombing uncalled for/ unnecessary?
The Israeli bombing of the Osirack reactor accelerated the Arab world’s intent to develop nuclear weapons according to Imad Khadduri, an Iraqi nuclear physicist who fled the country. The bombing of this facility was premised on the idea that it was developing the potential to create WMDs but Richard Wilson, prominent Harvard nuclear physicist, was not suited for plutonium production.
What did Israeli civil rights attorneys research during the Al-aqsa Intafada, what did they find?
These civil rights attorneys researched the amount of liquidation and/or assasination attempts in this period between November 2000 through April 2003. That they found was that official and semi-official records showed that Israel conducted no less than 175 liquidations during that time, reaching 1 attempt every 5 days. 235 were killed through these liquidation attempts, 156 of which were suspected of crimes.
What did the Bush do post-9/11 in respects to domestic counter-terrorism which proved to be one of the most egregious mass deprivations of human rights in the history of the U.S?
It imprisoned suspected “terrorists” or “enemy combatants” without trial, and they were held indefinitely until the White House found enough satisfaction in torturing and incarcerating Muslims.
What did the Red Cross do after finding out about U.S prison camps in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq?
The Red Cross ordered that the U.S provide access to prisoners of war, which the U.S refused to do, directly violating the Geneva Conventions.
Who was John Ashcfroft and what was an extremely alarming thing he said regarding the Patriot Act?
John ashcroft was Attorney Genral under the Bush Administration and his Justice Department found it “fundamental that if you hold someone as an enemy combatant,obviously you hold them without access to family members and without access to counsel.”
What has been a contemporary shift in U.S National Security strategy regarding international rule of law?
Despite the U.S’s self-righteous stance as the leader of international peace and international institutions, it has proved to be a failure at being a benevolent empire most if not all of the time, the National Security Strategy after 9/11 did not even mention international law or the UN charter.
Who was Francis Fukuyama and what did he say in 1992 regarding the UN?
Fukuyama explicitly stated that the UN is “perfectly serviceable as an instriument of American unilateralism and indeed may be the primary mechanism through which unilateralism in the future.”. Fukuyama served in the Reagan-Bush State Department as an advisor and helping hand.
What can we identify as one factor which led towards elite distaste for the UN?
Decolonization, as new members proved to be intimidating for the same reasons that the founding fathers were scared of providing any direct representation: the tyranny of the majority.
What countries have the highest veto rate in UN Security Council resolutions?
First is the United States, second is Britain, third is France, and fourth is Russia.
What was the relationship between Bush and Putin, and what did it mean for Chechen seperatists?
Bush and Putin had a nice relationship, going so far as to have Bush greenlight Putin’s vicious and murderous crackdown of Chechen seperatists.
What have Samuel P Huntington and Robert Jervis said of the U.S’s presence in the world and its decline as a superpower?
They do not necessarily say that the U.S is faltering as a superpower, but that the world increasingly sees the U.S as a rogue state which is an external and internal threat to all who come into contact with it. Political scientists conclude that this sense of a rogue superpower has accelerated countries’ demand for WMDs, as they arethe only sure fire way to avoid being absolutely dominated by the U.S.
What did Indochina specialist Bernard Fall say about the Vietnam, and how was this authentic?
Even though he was a virulent anti-communist, Falls warned that Vietnam as a “cultural and historical entity” was facing extinction because of the ruthless U.S onslaught.
What did a 2003 World Economic Forum poll reveal about world public trust in different leaders?
It provided a ranking showing that only NGOs had the trust of a clear majority, followed by UN and spiritual leaders, then leaders of Western Europe and economic managers, and right below corp executives. All the way at the bottom were the leaders of the U.S
What was so insane about the amount of effort the U.S put in towards taking down Iraq?
It was really a minor power in the middle east, already severely weakened by global sanctions, furthermore its economics and military expenditures were a fraction of Kuwait’s, which has 10% of Iraq’s population.
What did utilitarian JohnStyart Mill write about Britain’s imperial strategy in India?
Mill, much like Colin Powell and Wilsonian Idealists rampant in the Bush administration, believed that Britain was an exceptional, peerless country, which had to act on its won merits as the harbinger of peace, even as Britain was engaged in its most ferocious imperial designs i. india
