Revolutionary Nuclei

Revolutionary Nuclei is named in an October 5, 2001 list of foreign terrorist organizations reproduced in Noam Chomsky’s discussion of terrorism and state power. The book identifies it as a Greek organization and notes a former name, ELA, but supplies no account of its membership, structure, or specific actions. Its appearance therefore serves chiefly as an instance of official designation within the book’s broader examination of how political authority defines terrorism.

Identification and Listing

In the list dated October 5, 2001, Revolutionary Nuclei appears as entry 24, with the parenthetical identification “formerly ELA” and the country label Greece. The entry is part of a catalogue of organizations that the United States had formally designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The text does not expand the initials ELA or explain when or why the name changed.

The book offers no separate organizational profile, operational history, or description of particular incidents attributed to Revolutionary Nuclei. Its claims about the group are limited to the designation, its place in the list, and its stated former name. Those limits matter: the organization is present in the account as a subject of official classification, not as a fully narrated actor.

Designation and Its Effects

The surrounding discussion describes designation as a decision made by the Secretary of State after review of a detailed report assembled from intelligence-agency material and public and confidential sources. The State Department prepares an administrative record in coordination with the Justice Department, Treasury Department, and intelligence services; Congress receives confidential notice seven days before a designation is formally published. The book does not provide the specific evidence or decision record concerning Revolutionary Nuclei.

The designation system is presented as consequential beyond the act of naming. The accompanying material lists possible restrictions affecting designated organizations and their members, including blocking funds held by U.S. financial institutions and requiring those institutions to notify the Office of Foreign Assets Control. It also identifies broader intended effects: discouraging contributions, increasing public awareness, communicating U.S. concerns to other governments, and stigmatizing and isolating listed organizations internationally. These are described as effects of the system generally, not as separately documented outcomes for Revolutionary Nuclei.

Place in the Book’s Argument

Chomsky’s larger argument questions the assumption that terrorism is simply violence committed by an adversary. He invokes the official U.S. definition, which encompasses calculated violence or threats intended to achieve political, religious, or ideological aims, and argues that state actions can also fit such definitions. He contrasts that literal standard with the propagandistic convention of reserving the term for enemies and their allies’ opponents. Revolutionary Nuclei’s inclusion in the official list sits within this discussion of how governments categorize non-state actors, although the book does not use the organization as a case study or assess its conduct against the definition.

The list’s appearance thus gives the organization a narrow but concrete role in the text: it exemplifies the administrative practice of identifying and isolating groups through an official designation. The book’s focus remains on the political uses and uneven application of the category, rather than on Revolutionary Nuclei’s own history or activities.