Author(s): Noam Chomsky & C. J. Polychroniou

Politics

In these wide-ranging and incisive interviews, Chomsky addresses the urgent questions of this tumultuous time, speaking to the rapidly deteriorating quality of democracy in the United States and rising tensions globally.

Noam Chomsky examines the crumbling of the social fabric and the fractures of the Biden era, including the halting steps toward a Green New Deal, the illegitimate authority of the Supreme Court, in particular its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the ongoing fallout from COVID-19.

Chomsky also untangles the roots of the War in Ukraine, the diplomatic tensions among the United States, China, and Russia, and considers the need for climate action on an international scale.

Illegitimate Authority exposes those who wield power in their own self-interest and plots framework for how we can stand together and fight against injustice.

Review:

"Illegitimate Authority is a trove of facts and arguments about the most impactful problems of our time and how to improve on current responses to them--from the 'illegitimate authority' of the US Supreme Court, to global heating, the war in Ukraine, prevention of nuclear war, US-China cooperation, the US Democratic Party and the working class, the role of neoliberalism in class war, and more. Anyone who enjoys the company of articulate, provocative, and off-beat intelligences (not only Chomsky but also Bob Pollin and Costas Lapavitsas) will want to read it. And pick a fight with it."

--Robert H. Wade, London School of Economics

Praise for Optimism Over Despair:

"The elder statesman of a resurgent left offers clear-eyed assessments of the US, past and present, and its role in the world. From meditations on human nature to strategic advice for the Trump era, Chomsky remains the thinker who shaped a generation, a beacon of hope in the darkest of times." --Sarah Jaffe, Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt

"This book of interviews with Noam Chomsky is a must read in these troubling times. Divided into three parts, it begins with Chomsky's razor sharp analysis of neoliberalism, imperialism, the EU, the role of religion in politics, and class polarization. In the second, it focuses on the Trump presidency and lays out the long history of US foreign policy, as well as other topics such as health care, global warming and education policy. Finally, it looks at various alternatives--anarchism, communism and socialism. This is an excellent collection of interviews that highlights Chomsky's encyclopedic knowledge of the key issues of our day and his unwavering criticism of the regime of the global 1%." --Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire

"In this brilliant series of recent and wide-ranging interviews, Noam Chomsky combines an astounding breadth of knowledge, great depth of insight, clarity in explaining his ideas, and a relentless commitment to social and economic justice. The full package is simply exhilarating, especially in our current dismal era of Donald Trump. Optimism over Despair is a book to devour." --Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor of Economics and Co-Director, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

"...Chomsky argues that the choice between optimism and despair is really no choice at all. I have a great admiration for Chomsky's combination of consistent critical moral perspective and sharp eye for the details of world politics..." --Heikki Patomaki, professor of world politics at the University of Helsinki, and a civic and political activist

Author Biography: Noam Chomsky (Author) Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor (emeritus) in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. He is the author of numerous bestselling political works, which have been translated into scores of languages worldwide. Among the books are Optimism Over Despair, The Precipice, Chronicles of Dissent, On Anarchism and Hegemony or Survival.