The Politics of State Terror

September 11

Follows Chomsky’s effort to apply official definitions of terrorism to powerful states as well as nonstate attackers.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Beirut Bombing The Beirut Bombing from "September 11". The Beirut Bombing Chomsky recounts a truck bomb in Beirut that killed and injured civilians outside a mosque.

The Beirut Bombing from "September 11". The Beirut Bombing Chomsky recounts a truck bomb in Beirut that killed and injured civilians outside a mosque.

The Beirut Bombing Chomsky recounts a truck bomb in Beirut that killed and injured civilians outside a mosque. Civilian Targeting The attack, he says, was intended to kill a targeted religious figure but caused mass civilian casualties. Selective Memory Its limited place in American public debate contrasts with the attention given to attacks on Western victims.

The Nicaragua Judgment The Nicaragua Judgment from "September 11". The Nicaragua Judgment The International Court of Justice condemns American use of force against Nicaragua.

The Nicaragua Judgment from "September 11". The Nicaragua Judgment The International Court of Justice condemns American use of force against Nicaragua.

The Nicaragua Judgment The International Court of Justice condemns American use of force against Nicaragua. Legal Condemnation The Court orders the United States to stop and provide reparations, but Washington rejects the ruling. Chomsky’s Central Example He uses the case to challenge the assumption that state violence falls outside the category of terrorism.

The Al-Shifa Case The Al-Shifa Case from "September 11". The Al-Shifa Case The American strike on Sudan’s Al-Shifa plant becomes another example in Chomsky’s account of state violence.

The Al-Shifa Case from "September 11". The Al-Shifa Case The American strike on Sudan’s Al-Shifa plant becomes another example in Chomsky’s account of state violence.

The Al-Shifa Case The American strike on Sudan’s Al-Shifa plant becomes another example in Chomsky’s account of state violence. Indirect Victims The loss of affordable medicines creates long-term harm beyond the immediate explosion. Moral Accounting He argues that indirect deaths count when evaluating the consequences of an attack.

A Contested Definition A Contested Definition from "September 11". A Contested Definition Chomsky begins from the official definition of terrorism as calculated violence against civilians for political ends.

A Contested Definition from "September 11". A Contested Definition Chomsky begins from the official definition of terrorism as calculated violence against civilians for political ends.

A Contested Definition Chomsky begins from the official definition of terrorism as calculated violence against civilians for political ends. No Exception for Power The definition’s meaning depends on whether it is applied consistently to governments and armed movements. An Intellectual Test The argument asks readers to judge actions rather than inherit an enemy label.

The Mirror of Responsibility The Mirror of Responsibility from "September 11". The Mirror of Responsibility Chomsky asks readers to take responsibility for violence carried out in their name.

The Mirror of Responsibility from "September 11". The Mirror of Responsibility Chomsky asks readers to take responsibility for violence carried out in their name.

The Mirror of Responsibility Chomsky asks readers to take responsibility for violence carried out in their name. Public Complicity He invokes citizens’ taxes, political protection for perpetrators, and selective public memory. Universal Standards Acknowledging wrongdoing at home is necessary if condemnation of terrorism elsewhere is to have moral credibility.

1985

1986

August 1998

September 2001

In the postface, several months after September 11