Follow the author

Noam Chomsky

Rethinking Camelot : JFK, the Vietnam War, and U. S. Political Culture Hardcover – April 1 1993

by Noam Chomsky (Author)

45 ratings

3.7 on Goodreads

288 ratings

Part of: Chomsky Perspectives (13 books)

See all formats and editions

�鶹��

' + '' + decodeURIComponent(encodedIframeContent) + ''+''); doc.close(); } } this.iframeload = function () { var iframe = document.getElementById(iframeId); iframe.style.display = ''; setTimeout(function () { setIframeHeight(initialResizeCallback); }, 20); } function getDocHeight(doc) { var contentDiv = doc.getElementById("iframeContent"); var docHeight = 0; if(contentDiv){ docHeight = Math.max( contentDiv.scrollHeight, contentDiv.offsetHeight, contentDiv.clientHeight ); } return docHeight; } function setIframeHeight(resizeCallback) { var iframeDoc, iframe = document.getElementById(iframeId); iframeDoc = ((iframe.contentWindow && iframe.contentWindow.document) || iframe.contentDocument); if (iframeDoc) { var h = getDocHeight(iframeDoc); if (h && h != 0) { iframe.style.height = parseInt(h) + 'px'; if(typeof resizeCallback == "function") { resizeCallback(iframeId); } } else if (nTries < MAX_TRIES) { nTries++; setTimeout(function () { setIframeHeight(resizeCallback); }, 50); } } } this.resizeIframe = function(resizeCallback) { nTries = 0; setIframeHeight(resizeCallback); } } return DynamicIframe; });

Report an issue with this product

Part of series

Chomsky Perspectives
Language

English
Publisher

South End Pr
Publication date

April 1 1993
Dimensions

14.61 x 1.91 x 22.86 cm
ISBN-10

0896084590
ISBN-13

978-0896084599

See all details

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ South End Pr
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1 1993
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0896084590
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0896084599
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 227 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.61 x 1.91 x 22.86 cm
Part of series ‏ : ‎ Chomsky Perspectives
�鶹�� Rank: #2,803,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #161 in Vietnamese History (Books)
- #3,986 in History of the Americas (Books)
- #6,383 in International Relations (Books)
Customer Reviews:
45 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Noam Chomsky

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Avram Noam Chomsky (/ˈnoʊm ˈtʃɒmski/; born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes described as "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy, and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He has spent more than half a century at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is Institute Professor Emeritus, and is the author of over 100 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by https://www.flickr.com/photos/culturaargentina [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

45 global ratings

How are ratings calculated?

Review this product

Write a customer review

Top reviews from other countries

Lolan
another view of a another time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2016
Verified Purchase

It gives a new perspective on an often idolised American president. As always with chomsky it is a wonderful book

Read more
Report
David Bliven
Debunking JFK as anti-imperialist
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Another Chomsky classic. This one takes on the common notions hat JFK was “the liberal one” on foreign relations & it was LBJ that screwed everything up. As the internal documents subsequently released & discussed herein, both KFK & LBJ were committed to a project of “winning [the Vietnam War] for the sake of winning.” The book rightly posits JFK as a devoted militant & that choices WERE actually posed to him - and yet he invariably chose more war & more escalation. Chomsky sets forth how the build-up of the war was amazingly consistent between JFK, LBJ & even RFK. Indeed, RFK - while making public pronouncements against the war in the lead-up to the ‘68 election - wrote secretly that he was committed to continue the war as long as 20 years or more if necessary. Finally, Chomsky demonstrates definitively the amazing consistently between the “liberal Dems” that withdrawal was always an option, but only after victory.

Read more
Report
Phillip Skaga
CAMELOT VS VIETNAM
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
“Untypical Camelot decisions?”

One could generalize that our country was forged in a sequence of wars we have fought. The Revolutionary and Civil wars ultimately forged a ‘United’ States. Our participation in WWI introduced us to the arena of international affairs and our part in them. WWII culminated our accession to status as economically and militarily most powerful nation in the world. It also significantly acted as a force in creation of present world order. ‘Our’ wars, good and bad, are an integral part of our history. Distinctly adverse to our best interests have been more ‘limited’, i.e. not ‘world’ wars in Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Impact of these wars on our national character will continue to be analyzed. In this instance Chomsky evaluates the case of Viet Nam. Objectives identified in Viet Nam by Kennedy were not met as intended. Chomsky applies his typically thorough and incisive analysis to the readily available Viet Nam public record particularly as found in security action memos NSAM 263 and 273. Additional journalistic and book sources are also considered as in Schlesinger’s books on the JFK presidency. He analysiss spares no one!

More popular as well as pointed information is also considered from Daniel Ellsberg “The Pentagon Papers’. A combination of these papers and the hard, complete official documents are as conclusive a record to be found for any of our wars. This entire file of records for JFK’s presidency are readily available on-line for all to read. There is little doubt as to intended Kennedy objectives directed to his senior staff of advisors. His staff of advisors were cream of a national crop of fiscal, corporate and military experts.

Specifically Chomsky addresses Kennedy’s compulsion to ‘win’ the Viet Nam war as characteristic of everything he did in life. This became a singular desiderata for his recurrent calls for ‘actions’ by his senior advisors to ‘win’ at any cost. Unfortunately winning was not in the cards due to a very wide variety of tangential forces not least Viet Cong tenacity and effective tactics versus ineptitude and political ‘rot’ attributed to Viet Namese leaders.

The book goes through intricacies of decisionmaking as recorded in historic public records, reports, and journalistic opinions. The pattern of action JFK established was reluctantly taken up by Johnson when he acceded to the presidency following JFK’s assassination. The full public record has been subject to a wide range of interpretations by many in our nation. These range from opinion pieces in most major newspapers to Hollywood movie directors as well as the general public. Notably Oliver Stone whose movie ‘JFK’ was based on an evolved myth of JFK’s presumed singular desire to seek peace in Viet Nam. This versus a full record of his decisions and actions making clear actions to pursue winning the war at all costs and considerations. There appears no realistic intention to peacefully withdraw.

No matter one’s personal opinion about ‘Camelot’ or Viet Nam, the course actually pursued by JFK did not improve subsequent cautious consideration for complexity of our wars and realistic measures acceptable to a ‘win’. The pattern of actions and objectives for Iraq and Afghanistan differed from those of Viet Nam but consequences for our country were very similar. There was a breadth of influences to consider in addition to a fundamental desire to face threats real or presumed - generally specious as it turned out. In Viet Nam of Chinese and Russian communist threat proved least of strategic worries for winning the war. Viet Nam is simply a first case study in policy misdirection, mistinterpretation of intelligence, poor on the ground tactics, ponderously ineffective over kill strategies, faulty expert advice and misuse of strategic and tactical opportunities. The record is also a sad commentary on inhumane actions based on highest level policy decisions to say nothing of a devastated environment.

The previous paragraphs cover up to page 131. From there to page 184 Chomsky articulates reflections and interpretations of Viet Nam and Camelot as they have influenced subsequent history. This is a most important part of what Chomsky has to say. His general conclusion is our monomaniacal actions in Viet Nam were repeated in both Afghanistan and Iraq. In other words we seemed not to have learned lessons from any of these experiences. Simply naming a country ‘enemy’ was regarded as justification to take action against them. Strong influences behind this logic accrue from interests of corporate America. Our behavior was to be repeated in smaller ways against other ‘enemies’, i.e. those who are opposed to our self interests.

A punchline on page 184 finds Chomsky generalizing even more broadly about our ‘local’ wars. He observes “It seems more than coincidental fascination with tales of intrigue about Camelot reached a peak just as discontent with all institutions reached historic peaks, along with a general sense of powerlessness and gloom about the future, and the one party, two faction candidate producing mechanism . .
. . . .” This book is a Chomsky tocsin to our warlike nation seeking to protect USA ‘interests’.

Read more
Report
Robert
A FEAST FOR SKEPTICS
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
Vintage Chomsky, destroyer of myths and our national iconoclast laureate. The fact that he resides in a never-never land of social virtue in no way diminishes the warm glow of psychic pleasure that we receive as he flays the national paladins. Hugely entertaining as he demonstrates that history is not always written by the victors.

Read more
Report
Al in MBK
Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
Good historical read.

Read more
Report

See more reviews